Digital switch: the user's tale

Following last month’s article on the choices we face after analogue switch-off, Ian Macrae now looks at what lessons can be learned from the experience of disabled people in Whitehaven, which went digital last year

“We in Whitehaven were the guinea pigs. They say it went smoothly but I don’t think it went as smoothly as they say it did.”

That’s the verdict of Anne Bradshaw, based on her own experience of digital switch-over and those of her fellow members of the Copeland Disability Forum of which she’s chair. The first confusion was over the cost of switch-over for people who’re entitled to help under the national help scheme for older and disabled people.

“One of the ladies from Digital UK came to talk to the forum. She told us everything was free. Well, it turns out it’s not free. I had to pay £40 although I’m on the high rate of DLA and a full-time wheelchair-user.”

The plain facts are that you are entitled to assistance from the help scheme if you’re over 75 and/or disabled. In that case, you’ll be given a Freeview box at a preferential rate which will also cover the cost of installation and any training you need in using it.

You’re only entitled to the box for free if you are in receipt of an income-related benefit.

Jackie Burdon, the BBC spokeswoman for the help scheme, admits that in Whitehaven the messages were confused and confusing.

“In Copeland we would acknowledge that we didn’t communicate the £40 aspect early enough to people. As we go forward we’ll concentrate on making sure in each region that people know there’s a £40 payment.”

Other issues have arisen with the equipment given to people under the scheme in Whitehaven. The box chosen was the Logik LDR V3. It presented Anne Bradshaw and other members of the forum with some problems.

“I had to re-scan for channels every time I switched the telly on,” she says. “I brought them back and they changed the box and the same thing happened. It’s still not sorted out. I eventually bought flat-screen tellies with Freeview built into them.”

Other people reported more general problems with reception. Of about 35 TV channels available on Freeview, viewers in Copeland say they can receive roughly half, although they were able to pick up all the digital radio stations.

Jackie Burdon from the BBC told us that the Logik box probably won’t be the one which people in other areas are given.

“There won’t necessarily be one scheme box. As well as getting a box which is of good quality, it will be easy to access subtitles and audio description. We’ll always make sure that the remote is easy to use for people with dexterity problems.”

The next area to go totally digital is Selkirk and the Borders later this year. We’ll want to be sure that lessons learned from Whitehaven dictate what happens there.