HD on Freeview 'a political decision' says MP

[BGonaSTICK]

The chairman of an influential parliamentary committee says it is "unreasonable" to expect Ofcom to make what amounts to a "political decision" on whether some spectrum liberated by digital switchover should be reserved for high-definition (HD) channels on Freeview. An alliance of broadcasters, consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers is lobbying for spectrum to be set aside for HD broadcasting on digital terrestrial. Ofcom has postponed a final decision on the issue while it conducts more research, but Tory MP Peter Luff, chairman of the Commons trade and industry select committee, says the regulator was working with technical information that "appeared to be severely deficient".

Luff told Ofcomwatch, the blog that comments on the regulator's activities, that, philosophically, he agreed with "Ofcom's first decision … that spectrum should be allocated by a market-based mechanism because they cannot make the judgments between competing uses".

"But you do get into some very difficult decisions quite quickly," said Luff. "Two principles emerge from this, in my view: the first is the extent to which Ofcom is being asked to take political decisions rather than market decisions. The question of HDTV - is it something that people have a right to get free of charge? And the hard-pressed broadcasters (and they are hard-pressed in the commercial and the state sector) haven't got extra money to spend on more spectrum.

"So, it's a political decision - I think Ofcom got a political decision delegated to them. I think it's been unreasonable.

"The second issue is the quality of the technical information Ofcom brought to the debate. For the first time in my experience with Ofcom their technical information appeared to be severely deficient. So they were taking political decisions on the basis of bad technical information."

Luff said the issue meant Ofcom would be "open to much more challenge now". "I think about people like me who had worked under the assumption that it was a relatively benign organisation that did things broadly right. Now we are saying 'hang on, they got that one wrong, let me make sure they got this one right'. I think they will be open to more scrutiny as a result on the technical side of their work rather than on their judgements on issues of a more political nature."

[BGonaSTICK]

The question of HDTV - is it something that people have a right to get free of charge?

Oh, I'm sorry! I thought we already paid a hefty fee to watch TV in the UK? Should our payments be doubled every time the technology gets updated? Perhaps they'd have us all still watching in black and f***ing white, or huddled round an old valve radio in an Anderson Shelter?!?!

[Takes medication, blood pressure dropping, face returning to more 'normal' colour...] >

Perhaps the government would like to auction off my fillings to raise a few bob?

[remlap]

Originally Posted by BGonaSTICK

Perhaps the government would like to auction off my fillings to raise a few bob?

Frequency debates and you mentioning fillings make me think of the gag from Lucille Ball, she said she was able to pick up short wave morse code from spies to Japan during WWII in certain place each day in her fillings.

Totally of topic mind you

[BGonaSTICK]

They tested this on Mythbusters, on the Discovery channel.

Verdict?

Myth BUSTED

[remlap]

Originally Posted by BGonaSTICK

They tested this on Mythbusters, on the Discovery channel.

Verdict?

Myth BUSTED

Id like to watch that.

Never knew if it was made gag or the truth.

[nanochickin]

Heres one that really p!ssed me off > Taken from TV licencing website ops:

How much does it cost?

-
The blind concession gives you 50% off the cost of your TV Licence. So a colour licence will cost £67.75 and a black and white licence will cost £22.75.
-

What does it matter if your ****ing blind, you ain't gonna care if its colour or black and white are you. So why should you have to pay extra for a colour TV if you can't see it anyway

Just another reason for the government to screw us again for our hard earned cash for the privilege of watching the sh!t the BBC turns out before they sell it to everybody else thats stupid enough to pay for it by choice and not by force like us poor buggers :'(

Oh and not forgetting to pay for the channels that we can't even legally get in this country with the likes of BBC Prime and BBC America

OK rant over and please accept my apologies for the fowl language. God that feels better to get all that out



Nano

[Jimdefruit]

The sooner they get all politicians inside 'The House' and lock the doors and windows the better. Dont let them do anything at all between elections and no telephones or media in or out.

Wouldn't life be better?

[nanochickin]

Has anyone read the Terry Pratchett Discworld books :?

In the one book it states that if you become a politician that you are locked up immediately in the dungeon as the theory is that politicians are so crooked it just saves all the hassle of a court case by just locking them up in the first place

Maybe that could work here

[BGonaSTICK]

Bit like the drowning of suspected witches then [Wiki]

Not sure if Ann Widdecombe would float or sink, but who cares?!?

Maybe that's a little harsh :roflmao:

[diapason]

Hey, Nano, did you really mean to spell the word "foul" (as in disgusting) as "fowl" (as in chicken) or was that part of the satire? I do agree with you over BBC Prime which has disappeared from view - and I do remember when their programmes were on for the first time!!