50,000 city homes to get digital TV for free

Published on Thursday 1 February 2007 11:56

NEARLY 50,000 homes across the Capital will get free access to digital TV as the city gears up for the switchover from the existing analogue service.

Pensioners, the unemployed and families on low incomes will be among those who will receive a free digital box and help with setting it up before the switch in 2010.

An advertising campaign will be launched later this year to tell people in Edinburgh what the switchover will involve and Digital UK, the group responsible for the switchover, will also hold a series of roadshows across the city.

The company said the government-backed support scheme for people on low incomes, which will cost an estimated 1.6 million in Edinburgh alone, is part of its commitment to give everyone access to digital TV.

A spokesman for the group said: "Our role at Digital UK is to communicate the help scheme as part of our general information campaign, which we'll launch later this year.

"As part of this we will send a leaflet to every home explaining how to prepare for switchover, which starts in Edinburgh in 2010.

"A big part of our message to those eligible for the help scheme, and every other household, is trying to debunk the myths associated with the switchover.

"We still have people who think you need to buy a new television or that their existing television cannot be converted, and part of our job is to communicate what is actually involved."

A total of 49,000 households in Edinburgh will qualify for help with the digital switchover according to government estimates.

The vast majority of them will get the digital box and help with installation free of charge if someone in the household is on an income-related benefit, such as income support, jobseeker's allowance or any form of pension credit.

According to figures released in 2005, around 42,000 households in the Capital picked up one of these benefits.

Any remaining households who do not qualify for free help but are within these categories will get support at a subsidised fee.

It is thought that the help scheme will be in place around eight months before the switchover takes place.

A spokeswoman for Age Concern said television was a vital service for many pensioners and the Government's help would be welcome.

She said: "If there is government support for what will be a huge change for the whole of society then this has to be welcomed. Television is a lifeline for many elderly people, particularly during the colder months when they can't get out much or need vital information about the weather. I think older people will adjust and see the benefits over the inconvenience of making the change, but it is important that we let them know far enough in advance and get them prepared."

Around seven million UK households will qualify for assistance from the help scheme between 2008 and 2012.

The city's Tory leader, Iain Whyte, said: "It is the Government that has taken the decision to change over, so the onus is on them to support people who need help through the changes.

"The whole scheme will be difficult for some people to understand and it is important they get in touch with everyone affected well in advance to make the transition as smoothly as possible.

"I am sure there will be people who will question the cost of this but I do not see any other way of doing this without leaving thousands of people without a television service."