BRITISH GOVT. AIMS FOR 2012 DTV ROLLOUT, MORE DELAY POSSIBLE

The govt. continues to believe an ordered process leading to the earliest switchover practical would most benefit consumers, the broadcast industry and growth of new services, Jowell said. The govt. “believes that switchover should be broadcaster-led but that the final decision on timetable should balance these benefits against the need to ensure that the interest of the most vulnerable consumers are protected,” she said. The govt. asked Ofcom’s independent consumer panel to look into what measures might be necessary to do that and to report this year, she said.

Jowell asked the BBC -- which floated the 2012 date last month -- how it plans to carry out its promise to be a “leader and coordinator across the industry.” She also said the govt. is working with retailers and manufacturers to ensure “good clear information” is given to consumers currently planning to buy TVs or recording equipment. And she announced that DTV technical trials will begin in 2 villages. If the switchover trial is successful, she said, those communities will be the first in the U.K. to go fully digital next spring.

In a speech late last month, newly appointed BBC Dir.- Gen. Mark Thompson said the BBC had committed itself to supporting full rollout of digital terrestrial television. But he said, “We think a switchover date of 2012 is realistic.” Thompson also promised the BBC would work with govt. and industry to find ways to fund and coordinate DTV build-out for all public broadcasters, and take a leading role in the “massive” marketing and public information campaign needed. The BBC will also work to create a free digital satellite service for households that can’t get DTV, he said. Asked Thurs. how the BBC would respond to Jowell’s requests for information, a spokesman told us the broadcaster would consider the statement’s “implications before responding more fully.”

Ofcom Chief Exec. Stephen Carter said: “Discussions to date have been productive and we share the Government’s enthusiasm for the progress made by all parties. Work to address a number of significant issues will gather pace over the summer, leading to a more detailed timetable for delivery.” An Ofcom spokesman wouldn’t disclose the key issues under discussion. In April, Ofcom -- saying the govt. isn’t likely to meet its goal of 95% switchover by 2010 if it relies solely on the market -- urged the govt. to “change gear” from planning to action by setting a timetable (CD April 6 p4).

Jowell’s statement isn’t a formal pushback because the govt. hadn’t committed to a switchover date, said Guido Gybels, dir.-new technologies, Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID). In that sense, he said, “fixing a date will have a motivating effect on all.” RNID believes it’s important to commit the U.K. to a specific date, Gybels said. DTV could improve access to TV for the deaf, hard-of-hearing and visually impaired through services like subtitling, audio description and signing. Setting a switchover date may also generate the interest and funding needed to deliver those services at high quality, Gybels said.

For another advocacy group, however, the main issue in DTV switchover is ensuring that consumers aren’t “bullied by the threat of a digital deadline.” It’s clear consumers have many concerns about the switchover -- and they won’t all be solved by a particular date, said Allan Williams, of the U.K. Consumers’ Assn (CA). Furthermore, he said, those people who refuse to switch to DTV must be helped and not treated as pariahs.

The 2010 switchover date was “made as a working hypothesis -- little more,” said Marcus Coleman, dir.-gen. of the U.K. Digital TV group (DTG), the industry association for DTV. Jowell’s statement is based on detailed analysis of the technical work required, the response rate of the supply chain to service demand for products and research into consumer attitudes to switchover, he said. As such, “the revised dates are a more accurate reflection of the situation,” he said.

DTG is pleased to see “clarity emerging on the switchover timetable based upon a realistic and meaningful analysis of the substantial task in hand,” Coleman told us. The marketplace needs certainty that the switchover will take place and do so in a controlled and managed way, he said, and the govt.’s statement is “one more step towards that goal.” Moreover, he said, DTG supports the govt.’s recognition that consumers will need unbiased information to make informed choices.

Asked what effect, if any, the delay might have on consumer enthusiasm for DTV, Coleman said, “truth is, public awareness of switchover is very limited.” Statements like Jowell’s help publicize and promote digital, he said. More U.K. households have DTV than don’t, and people are discovering its benefits for themselves, he said. Commercial platform operators and public service broadcasters are doing an “excellent job” of raising awareness of their services, he said, and retailers and manufacturers are extending their product lines. “We have a very buoyant market in the U.K., and we see it set to grow dramatically when firm switchover dates are confirmed,” Coleman said.

Intellect, which represents the U.K. high-tech industry, applauded Jowell’s statement but said it’s concerned over a “continued lack of certainty.” “If the switching sequence begins, as suggested, in 2007, this will provide stakeholders 2 years in which to complete preparations for the start of the switchover sequence,” said Laurence Harrison, Intellect dir.-consumer electronics. It’s imperative that the govt. make a firm commitment on a switchover timetable and a public decision as quickly as possible, to allow adequate planning within the total supply chain, he said. Because digital inclusion has long been part of the govt.’s social inclusion policy -- and DTV will let consumers realize the full benefits of digital broadcasting -- the govt. must “retain ownership of the project going forward,” Harrison said.