Digital TV and the abuse of state power

Robert Henderson

The real reason why we are being forced to go to digital TV is
government greed. The decision to turn off the analogue TV signal was
made in the hope that the analogue waveband freed up would provide a
bonanza similar to that which arose when the G3 wavelengths were sold
off to the mobile phone companies - those licences produced £24
billion
and mobile phone users are paying very high prices because of the
amount
leeched out of them by the government.

Digital TV is going to be a costly pain in the neck. Every non-digital
TV will have to be fitted with a digital box or replaced with a
digital
TV. A decent box which will also allow full function recording of
programmes is currently around £200. All current recording equipment
which is not digital will become defunct.

Unlike analogue TVs it is unlikely that an internal aerial will pick
up
the digital signal adequately. This will mean the fitting of an
expensive aerial to the roof and aerial sockets in every room where a
TV
is to be used. Portable TVs will become next to impossible to use
outside the home and difficult to use within the home because of the
external aerial problem which will mean that a set cannot be carried
around.

How good the digital signal will be is debatable. I have a digital
radio
and even in London where the signal is strong, getting a constant and
clear signal is problematic. It is also believed that a small
proportion
of the UK will not be able to receive a digital signal at all - the
current estimate is 1% of UK homes.

Doubtless in time radio will also go digital and bring further
disruption and expense.

The other great problem will be people, especially the old, coming to
terms with both fitting the new technology and operating it.

This change is a classic example of a government simply ignoring the
wishes and convenience of the public. The democratic way would be to
maintain the present situation with both analogue and digital signals
until there is no market for the analogue system.

The final question to ask is by what right do governments sell that
which belongs to the country as a whole?
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