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Introduction

1.1 The programme of licensing self-help TV relay transmitters was introduced by the Home Office in 1980, as a means of helping small communities have access to the Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) TV channels: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV, and later Channel 4, S4C and Channel 5. These communities were usually too small to be likely to be served by a transmitter built by the broadcasters.

1.2 Self-help schemes were generally funded by the local community and were designed to cover relatively small areas and numbers of households. Later schemes were set up (particularly in urban areas) to rectify a loss or reduction in the quality of terrestrial TV reception due to interference caused by new buildings, such as a football stadium or a high rise building.

1.3 Responsibility for licensing self-help schemes transferred to Ofcom in December 2003. Ofcom is the regulator of the broadcasting and telecommunication industries with special responsibilities for management of the spectrum (or airwaves) used by wireless services including television and radio broadcasting. Ofcom operates independently of Government, and our main responsibilities are set out in the Communications Act 2003.

1.4 Digital switchover is the process by which all of the UK’s television services will switch to broadcasting programmes digitally. The process will involve switching off conventional analogue TV signals and boosting digital signal coverage across the UK. Digital switchover will happen on a regional basis, with Whitehaven leading the UK's switchover to digital TV in October 2007. Switchover will then take place on a region-by-region basis across the UK between 2008 and 2012, in accordance with the regional timetable set out by Government^(-1-).

1.5 The broadcasters will continue to use all of their existing analogue transmitter sites to broadcast digitally after switchover. Therefore the coverage of the digital signals will closely match that currently achieved by the analogue television services. It is estimated that 98.5% of UK households are served by good quality analogue television services from a broadcaster-operated transmitter, and it is expected that the same percentage of viewers will be able to receive digital signals from a terrestrial transmitter after switchover.

1.6 Viewers in some areas where analogue signals are currently of poor quality may find that their reception improves as a result of switchover, and hence a self-help transmitter may no longer be required.

1.7 All communities operating self-help relays will be affected by digital switchover. Most obviously, the analogue signals that are boosted by their transmitters will be switched off. In some cases, the self-help relay will no longer be required as digital signals will be better than the analogue signals they replace, or because viewers may choose to take up digital viewing by another means (for example satellite or cable).

1.8 All communities that wish to retain their self-help transmitter will need to take action to ensure that their systems continue to operate satisfactorily and are properly licensed after switchover. Existing licences are valid only for analogue transmissions and all communities that wish to continue operating a self-help relay after switchover must re-license them as a digital self-help relay.

1.9 This guidance note provides information and guidance for operators of self-help schemes on their options for deciding whether to retain their relays, and the steps they will need to take in the run up to switchover.

Footnotes:

1.- An up-to-date timetable for when switchover will occur in each region is available from Digital UK at www.digitaluk.co.uk

The full document is available below

• Self-help TV Relays and Digital Switchover [pdf]
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