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Summary

1.1 Ofcom has consulted on a licensing regime for community television relay services (commonly referred to as “self-help relays”). Self-help relays are used by communities to receive television in areas where analogue reception is very poor, or unavailable. At digital switchover, relay operators will need to take some action (adjustment, upgrade, or replacement of the transmitter) for the relay to continue to work. Changes to the technical parameters for the relay will need to be planned to ensure that interference is not caused to other services, and the relay will need to be licensed by Ofcom under the Wireless Telegraphy Act.

1.2 This statement summarises the most important points raised by respondents to the consultation on Self help TV relays and digital switchover published on 7 December 2006. The consultation closed on 1 March 2007. The statement sets out Ofcom’s decisions in relation to the proposed Wireless Telegraphy Act licensing regime for digital self help relays and explains the reasoning behind the decisions.

The consultation

1.3 In the consultation, Ofcom proposed to set up a licensing regime for digital self-help relays. Digital self-help relays could, subject to spectrum availability, help maximise the coverage and availability of digital television throughout the UK following digital switchover (DSO).

Ofcom’s proposals

1.4 Ofcom stated that it wanted to ensure that viewers that currently rely on a self-help relay to receive terrestrial television would not lose reception at digital switchover (DSO). The consultation sought to establish what interest exists in providing digital self-help relays following digital switchover and to get views on the proposed licensing regime.

1.5 Ofcom proposed to establish a regime for licensing self-help relays under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (the “WTA”). Ofcom proposed that the cost for frequency planning for existing relays should be met by Ofcom and the BBC, but that the planning costs for new relays should be met by the operators. Ofcom proposed that licences for self-help relays should be available to anybody that needed them, subject to availability of frequencies. Ofcom proposed to set the fee for a five year WTA licence at £75.

Responses to the consultation

1.6 Ofcom received 31 responses. Of these, twenty responses were submitted by, or on behalf of operators of self-help relays. Most of the responses were in favour of our proposals for licensing digital self-helps.

1.7 The main concerns raised by respondents were about costs for frequency planning, the £75 WTA licence fee and technical matters related to conversion of the relay equipment.

Conclusions

1.8 Having considered the responses to the consultation Ofcom has decided to:

• Establish a licensing regime for self help relays that retransmit digital services, as proposed in the consultation.
• Publish guidance for self-help operators (published alongside this statement).

The full document is available below

• Self-help TV relays and Digital Switchover [pdf]
  Full Print Version

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