MP said Wales will be far more badly hit by loss of terrestrial television than the rest of the UK
Concern has been raised that Wales will be far more badly hit by a ‘switch off’ of terrestrial television than the rest of the UK. The government is consulting on whether to switch off aerial signals for Freeview and terrestrial television by 2034.
This would mean that people would only be able to access their television programs via the internet, sparking concerns especially for vulnerable people and those living in rural areas. A Green Paper released by the government this summer outlined proposals to scrap aerial-based Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in favour of internet-based services, with the earliest proposed transition date set for 2034. This would spell the end of Freeview, which currently serves 12.4 million homes across the UK.
Up to 1.5 million households are anticipated to still be dependent on DTT by 2035. Upon publication of the Green Paper, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy argued the shift was necessary as ‘the media landscape moves further and further online’. There are two dates suggested for the switch-off – 2034 and 10 years later in 2044.
In a debate yesterday Plaid Cymru MP Ann Davies said Wales residents could be disproportionately hit by the change as far more people use terrestrial television – and broadband speeds are much slower. She said: “Most people are turning to on-demand and streaming services to watch television and digest media content in Wales, but the shift is not universal: 22% of households in Wales still rely on digital terrestrial television to watch their TV. That reality of hybrid media consumption must therefore be reflected in the UK Government’s policy choices or we risk exclusion.
“We cannot forget that in Wales, a fifth of our population are older and therefore more affected by the barriers to home internet access. Those of us living in rural Wales know that a good and fast internet service is not always available, especially in Caerfyrddin, where the average download speeds are 40% slower than the UK average.
“Ofcom reports that more hard-to-reach households are turning to satellite connectivity; however, increased costs and limited availability means that this is not an option for everyone. Recent polling found that over half of Welsh adults are not confident that their area’s internet connection is good enough to get rid of Freeview. Improving digital inclusion and access should be a UK Government priority before decisions are made to switch off digital terrestrial television.”
Broadcasters contend that maintaining dual transmission systems — both the traditional terrestrial aerial network and online streaming — is becoming increasingly costly. Switching off Freeview would save millions in distribution costs, releasing that funding for programming instead.
Ms Davies added: “However, if the UK Government will only consider one of two dates as part of their media Green Paper, I urge Ministers to decide on the latter switch-off date of 2044, for the reasons that I have noted, and to support our broadcasters in the interim through long-term sustainable funding, so that the media content in Wales remains accessible and reflects our communities.”
Ian Murray, Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: “I think we all agree that we have dealt with the “if” —w e will move from DTT to internet-only television at some point—but we have to deal with the “when”. Is it 2034? Is it 2044? I accept the big arguments around payments and around connectivity, the quality of connectivity and digital inclusion, but none of those should be a reason not to go forward in 2034 if that is what we decide. It should be the beacon that we aim for to deliver on digital inclusion and high-quality broadband in every part of the country and make sure that people are included.
”As a Government, as a Parliament and as constituency Members of Parliament, we should not just accept that broadband might not be good enough and that therefore we should not make these decisions. We should use it as a key driver to make sure that we can deliver on connecting Toggle showing location of everyone and on the benefits not just of television, but of everything that comes with being digitally included and digitally connected. We have not made a decision on 2034 or 2044, which is why both dates are in the Green Paper.”
