Digital TV Access For All
Article for PC Live Magazine, March 2009
“A lot of older people are not familiar with the technology. There is a lot of ignorance about the switchover and not many of them are taking up digital television. They need help with setting up the service and an educational campaign, informing them of where they can get set-top boxes. Cost may be an issue for those on a non-contributory pension, who don’t have a second pension. It is important for RTE to provide multi-channelTV for those who can’t afford to subscribe to NTL etc.”
The overall likely cost to consumers of the changeover is still uncertain. DTT with the standard Irish channels will continue to be free, but it will be necessary for people to switch to DTT if they want to avail of the free channels. “A lot of people who will be switching to Sky etc. at the last minute will be typically older people in rural areas on low incomes. We want to make sure that none of those people miss out and that there is some help for them in purchasing equipment and setting equipment up so they can use it in their homes.”
At present, TV Access for All is concentrating its efforts on awareness-raising. “A lot of (organisations) will be unaware of the issues of access for older people and people with disabilities,” says Mark Magennis. “They won’t realise that if somebody has a remote control which is fiddly to use, they can’t use it. A lot of it is just telling them what the situation is and how they can benefit from remedying that situation. We can give them our expertise, such as user-testing. “We’re trying to get them to realise that they need to take this seriously for themselves, as well as their customers.”
In the coming months, TV Access for All will be continuing its negotiations with providers and to increase the audio-description and subtitling quotas, which are currently being reviewed. Overall, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the need of marginalised customers. Mark Magennis is confident that the Government will step in to ensure the provisions are made, particularly in relation to quotas. “The argument is very clear and the costs are very low. There are substantial benefits to accessibility and we will be pressing for the equipment to be made available.”
