DIGITAL TELEVISION IN WALES

That this House notes the high take-up of digital television in Wales in comparison to the rest of the UK and that 56 per cent. of Welsh households currently have access to digital television despite the inherent difficulty in ensuring access to digital transmissions due to the topography of Wales; further notes that currently only three quarters of households can receive digital television through their aerials and that this will not change until digital switchover; believes that public service broadcasting is an essential part of democracy and that democracy will be compromised if decisions on when areas conduct switchover lies with unelected quangos; is concerned that if the switchover process is based solely on market forces, rural areas will lose out, as companies will install transmitters where it is easiest; further believes that in areas which the signal cannot reach, people will have to pay for digital satellite and that Wales should therefore be among the first areas to switchover as this will provide an opportunity to test the technology in a challenging environment, making it easier for the technology to be transferred elsewhere in the UK; and calls on the Government to set a timetable for this to happen.