DIGITAL television is coming in 1997 and could create some 50 new TV channels. Unfortunately, people may need several different receivers to watch all these channels. And one large operator could end up dominating the airwaves.
The government鈥檚 White Paper on broadcasting, published last week by heritage minister Virginia Bottomley, declines to lay down a common standard so that all channels can be seen with one receiver. Instead, free-market economics will be allowed to set the standards, with the most successful broadcaster effectively creating a standard which could be used to lock out its competitors.
The BBC has criticised the lack of a common standard. 鈥淐onsumers do not want a stack of set-top boxes,鈥� warns Philip Laven, the BBC鈥檚 Controller of Engineering Policy. The White Paper recognises that the lack of a common standard would be 鈥渦npopular with consumers and inefficient鈥� but it says that the government 鈥渄oes not want to prevent a competitive market emerging鈥�.
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Before digital broadcasts can start, the Independent Television Commission must license 鈥渙perators鈥� for six new digital 鈥渕ultiplexes鈥�. A multiplex is a slot the size of an existing TV channel which will carry a stream of digital data instead of analogue waves. Each multiplex can carry between two and nine TV channels, depending on the picture quality
All TV broadcasters will be guaranteed enough space to transmit their existing programmes in both analogue and digital form. If broadcasters want more space, they will have to bid for a licence or buy space from a multiplex operator.
The White Paper says that one operator will be allowed a maximum of two multiplexes. But government sources say that it is considering raising the limit to three. This means that one operator 鈥� such as Rupert Murdoch鈥檚 BSkyB 鈥� could control half the airwaves.
Britain will adopt the European Commission鈥檚 directive on transmission standards which defines a method of converting TV pictures into digital code. But this standard does not cover the technology needed to unscramble the digital code. Broadcasters will use this technology to charge viewers.
Critics of the government鈥檚 policy believe that one operator could use the technology to dominate the market. The Digital Video Broadcasting Group is a collection of broadcasters and manufacturers that has set many of Europe鈥檚 standards. 鈥淲ithout interoperability, one multiplex operator could devise a strategy to lock out competitors,鈥� warns David Cutts of the DVB.