New phone networks will hit TV reception
More than 32,000 households in the Westcountry face television interference from new mobile networks, with remote areas at risk of losing pictures altogether.
Two million homes nationally are likely to need filters installed to make sure their favourite programmes are not ruined by the launch of 4G services next year.
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The Government has set aside £180 million to help homes that suffer from flickering screens or a loss of channels because of their close proximity to masts.
But in the House of Lords last week, one peer said she was "not a complete idiot" but had to pay a BT engineer £130 to fit a filter to ease the problem.
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The worst affected areas, likely to be in rural parts of the country, will need to be transferred to other technology, such as satellite and cable.
Of 700,000 homes in the West broadcasting region, 32,000 can expect some form of interference, according to regulator Ofcom's figures.
The new 4G networks, which are already common in other countries, will allow home broadband speeds to be delivered to mobile phones and are seen as vital to boosting the economy, especially in the countryside.
But the Government has been warned the number affected is a "gross underestimate", while broadcasters say the £180 million help fund is not enough.
Torbay Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders – who sits on the cross-party culture, media and sport select committee – said: "We have to find a way around this so that on the one hand it does not delay 4G but also does not cost households money for the equipment they will have to buy in order for their reception not to be interrupted."
Spectrum freed up by switching off the analogue television signal is highly sought after by mobile phone companies.
Ofcom is currently preparing to auction off the spectrum, which is expected to raise significant sums for the Government.
Help will be provided for the elderly or disabled. In extreme cases, which are expected to be very rare, the fund will spend up to £10,000 per household to find a solution.
Homes close to transmitter towers will automatically have a filter issued. The filter, which is fitted to a digital television box, blocks out unwanted noise from the 4G signal.
The fund has been set up to collect the money from mobile companies who are bidding for 4G mobile spectrum.
As the 4G spectrum will sit next to that used by the free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT), there could be a problem for homes that use set-top boxes.
Around 24 million households watch television through a DTT box. Of these around half use the system as their sole television platform, according to Freeview.
The company claims the majority of those affected will require an aerial installer to complete the installation. It says the total cost will rise to £400 million.
In the House of Lords, Conservative peer Baroness O'Cathain claimed fitting the filters "is not easy".
She said: "I am not a complete idiot, but I had to pay £130 to get my filter fitted by a BT engineer.
"The reality is that there are lots of people around who are not going to be able to do it.
"I truly believe that two million is a gross underestimate of the number of people who are going to have problems with this."
But speaking for the Government, Baroness Garden of Frognal said the final figures are expected to be "very much lower than the two million being suggested".
She said: "In many households the interference will be negligible and easily remedied, and in those cases the filters will be provided free.
"The actual fitting should not prove as much of a problem, but contingency funds will be available if it is."
Comments
by EdWinchester
Friday, July 20 2012, 2:29PM
“@thetalkmon.
Save your efforts, trying to reason with some individuals on here is a pointless task. 4G is already changing things in the US and lots of Europe, we've fallen behind in this technology which is something our economy cannot afford to do, especially as we enter this double dip recession. Those who distrust techology or who don't see the big picture will complain but it will make no difference to the outcome. It's overdue, eagerly awaited and innevitable. The benfits will soon become clear.”
by Alan_Henry
Sunday, July 15 2012, 12:41AM
“I propose a very simple solution, that will eliminate this problem, and save a lot of people £100+ a year: get rid of the shiny magic window in the corner - read books, meet people, actually DO something.
This proposal was encouraged by the new 'cool' thing to do is not have a TV.”
by kooldud
Tuesday, June 26 2012, 7:40PM
“Anyone know where I can find a payphone that works and doesn't smell of peee????”
by thetalkmon
Tuesday, June 26 2012, 5:53PM
“Leaklocate - Well if you bothered to read the comments you would see that the government isn't using tax payers money, it will be using money from the aution that sells the spectrum to network providers. It will even have loads of extra money from the sale and make a profit!. Also it isn't even 4G its LTE do you always form an opinion on incorrect information or sometimes do you actually bother to find the facts before you comment ?”
by Leaklocate
Tuesday, June 26 2012, 1:57PM
“4 G ? - I think not! Secondly why must tax payers foot the bill- why not 'transfer' expenses to 'source' ?”
by esotericage3
Tuesday, June 26 2012, 12:05AM
“@ henry blince
So your Mr. Perfectionist then with technology?. I suspect that even you have an illiterate moment occasionally.”
by henryblince
Monday, June 25 2012, 11:18PM
“@thetalkmon:
Obviously not a very good one then. That's what happens when you rely on technology; it fails when you least expect it and leaves you looking like an illiterate idiot.”
by thetalkmon
Monday, June 25 2012, 11:11PM
“josdave - The £180million fund is coming from the £ billions the phone companies will be paying in the auction. So how are the phone companies not paying for it? Why can't people understand that a billion is a lot more than 180 million so the government is making a big profit ...”
by josdave
Monday, June 25 2012, 10:58PM
“Who is responsible for the poor TV recption with the interference? 4G. Who should pay for those affected to get normal reception back? 4G. It's quite simple really and has nothing to do with me or anyone else being a technophobe which I am not.”
by thetalkmon
Monday, June 25 2012, 10:48PM
“Henryblince - Yes my phone does have a spell checker but that is a grammatical error not a spelling error...
You can say what you want but there is no argument against technological progression every year everything gets better and more advanced and eventually everyone embraces it. You may disagree but you obviously have a computer and internet connection. Which 20 years ago you would have probably been writing a letter of complaint to your local newspaper saying how nobody wants these things. Trust me there will be a point where all phones use the 4G network and if you want a phone even just for emergencys you will have to use this new network your so against. It is inevitable!”