Vital UK Gov e-petition for HD on Freeview.

[cosmocat]

Over the next few years the analogue TV service in the UK will be switched off and all terrestrial transmissions ( i.e. not satellite or cable ) will go to the digital DVB system ( freeview ). The DVB freeview system has the capacity to broadcast in High Definition ( HD ), but only if the frequencies freed up by the analogue switch off are dedicated for this use.

The move that allows HD on freeview is threatened by the government office OfCOM proposing to sell off the freed up frequency spectrum to any highest bidder.

If this sell off of our frequency spectrum goes ahead then the provision for HD television in the UK will be entirely in the hands of a few private for-profit companies with no possibility of competition from BBC channels. Thus the ONLY option for HD will be via commercial channels probably operating pay-per-view or subscription services.

The chance of general public benefit allowed by the advances in broadcast technology will have been taken away from us and put in the hands of a few private companies.

Don't forget we have already paid for the Set-top-boxes ( including VAT tax on the purchase and Income Tax on the money earned ) that allows this sell off to go ahead.
Shouldn't we get something back from this ?.

Please sign the government e-petition to stop this sell off at
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/CitizensSpectrum/
( Urgent Deadline 19th March )

More information can be found at the campaign website
http://www.hdforall.org.uk/

or from the BBC at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6451041.stm

Please pass this on to anybody you think is interested. We need as many signatures as possible on the petition if we are to avoid another government disaster.

Thanks
Andrew.