A joint consultation document issued today by the ITC, Oftel and the OFT (2 May) looks at how consumers will be able to get the best deal and widest choice of access to new digital television services.

The consultation will establish what factors could determine the rate at which the Government’s preconditions of affordability and availability for switchover from analogue to digital can be met.

Digital TV provides a substantial expansion of the types of services accessible by television such as more information, new interactive services and access to the Internet as well as a greater range of choice of programmes and channels for the consumer.

Consumers with differing requirements may face different obstacles – from those who just want to view the existing free-to-air broadcast channels digitally to those who want to take advantage of multi-channel TV, internet access and interactive services such as home shopping or banking, and switch from one platform to another.

The document, prepared at the Government’s request, considers how the digital television market can develop in a way which will "not inhibit competition or set unnecessary barriers for consumers to access new services".

The regulators will use the results of the consultation to give practical advice to Government on what regulatory or Government action might be necessary to improve the affordability, accessibility and availability of digital tv to consumers in the UK.

The aims of the consultation are to identify and propose solutions to the barriers to:

• the take-up of digital television for those consumers interested in receiving a wider choice of channels including pay TV;
• the take-up of digital television for those consumers interested primarily in receiving the existing free-to-air public service broadcast channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Channel 5); and
• consumer access to new services, and in particular to the internet, from digital TV receiving equipment .

A number of key questions are identified based around these issues which the ITC, Oftel and OFT would welcome views on by Friday 16 June.

Notes to Editors

Copies of the consultation document are available on the following websites www.itc.org.uk, www.oft.gov.uk, and www.oftel.gov.uk or from the ITC Information Office.

Responses should be received preferably in an electronic format by Friday 16 June 2000 and addressed to:

Davina Garrod
ITC
33 Foley Street
W1P 7LB

fax: 020 7306 7800

email: davina.garrod@itc.org.uk.

Responses will be copied by the ITC to Oftel and the OFT.

All responses will be made publicly available on the ITC’s website unless respondents make a special case for confidentiality. Respondents may prefer to put confidential material in a separate annex.

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