Freeview viewers to be charged £200

Pay or face interference.

By Joe Derry-Malone Published 02 July 2012

The end of analogue television prompted sign up to Freeview. Photo: Getty Images

More than two million Freeview users will face paying up to £212 to ensure that signals released from new 4G transmitters don't interfere with their coverage. The costs, which amount to more than a year's subscription to Virgin Media, will have to be paid by anyone living within 2km of new 4G transmitters, which will cause interference with the Freeview service.

The costs are designed to fund the installation of signal filter equipment. Without this equipment viewers would experience "significant pixelation", according to Ilse Howling, managing director of Freeview. Howling went on to blame the government, describing the situation as "really unfair" for Freeview's viewers.

John Tate, Director of Policy and Strategy at the BBC, has cited the "polluter pays" principle, claiming that the profitable 4G business should absorb costs rather than the viewer. Whilst the government has already allocated £180m to solve the problem, Freeview argue that this will not cover the costs of installing the necessary technology.

The issue is currently being investigated by Ofcom, the independent regulator for UK communications industries.

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6 comments

Sat, 2012-07-07 23:16 — Rememberance (not verified)

Freeview where there is a repeat of the repeat that came from a channel that repeated it 20 years or so ago. We have already paid for the BBC in our licence that are repeated within there.

Just why do we have so many repeats,that are paid for again and again every year.

I think all BBC repeats ought be deductible out of the current licence, as we have paid for them already, probably every year for the last twenty/thirty years.

Top Gear on Freeview, just one of many repeats, and then Tony Robinson excavating on sites with road diggers, he came across a site which they thought was Roman - dig deep and it was all the repeats of the repeats stored in the catacombs of Lime Grove.

Tue, 2012-07-03 09:06 — Barrie J (not verified)

90% of all Freeview output is unwatchable rubbish anyway.
It wouldn't surprise me to discover that the 'interference glitch' was built in to force the consumer to go out and spend £200 on some must have filter.
BBC, ITV, Channels 4 and 5 have all dumbed down to the lowest denominator.
Nothing but game shows, soaps, cooking, property and reality TV.
Stop paying the TV Tax.