TV Access representatives present to Oireachtas Communications committee
Friday, 17 April 2009 14:20
Representatives of the TV Access coalition appeared in front of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications on April 2nd, outlining the need for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) services and consumer equipment to be made affordable and fully accessible.
During the committee session, Mark Magennis of TV Access presented on the importance of television for social inclusion and the possibility of it becoming unaffordable and inaccessible to many people after analogue switch-off in 2012. He described possible problems due to the lack of subtitles, sign language and audio description, inaccessible consumer equipment, practical difficulties with making the switch to digital and the extra costs of switching for some vulnerable people. He pointed out the potential financial benefits for government of fully inclusive digital television services. These include reduced expenditure on supporting dependency due to social exclusion and maximising the audience for government services delivered through the extremely cost-effective channel of digital TV. The NHS Direct service in the UK was cited as an example. Lastly, he presented a number of recommended actions that TV Access would like to see:
- The Department of Communications to collaborate with TV Access organisations in planning and implementing the switch-off awareness campaign and a switch-over assistance scheme;
- The Department to convene a ‘Digital Ireland’ stakeholder group with a remit to look at issues of accessibility and affordability;
- RTÉ to cover accessibility within the DTT minimum receiver requirements;
- The Broadcasting Bill to guarantee effective representation of older people and people with disabilities on the structures that will regulate and oversee television in the future.
Joan O'Donnell from the Disability Federation of Ireland recommended that the information and assistance be delivered through the social partnership process in which the voluntary sector is properly supported and resourced. John-Mark McCafferty, head of social justice and policy with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul made the point that this is a social inclusion issue and called on the Committee to link up with the senior officials group for social inclusion. He said it cannot be left for the market to decide on affordability or left to voluntary organisations to provide information and assistance. He talked about previous experiences with the medium wave switch-off, demonstrating the need to start planning an information campaign at the earliest opportunity.
The Oireachtas website has a full transcript of the session.