Pensioners could get training in how to watch TV over the internet under Government plans to help people resistant to the shift to online-only viewing.
A major support package is needed if the ministers are to meet a favoured target date of 2034 to switch off digital terrestrial TV (DTT) signals, or Freeview, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in a policy proposal this week.
The green paper invites industry views on two timelines for switching off DTT and moving to online-only TV – either in 2034 or a decade later. Ministers say it will be uneconomic to retain DTT after the 2040s once online TV is universally available.
Advocacy groups for the elderly, disabled and low-income fear some viewers will find themselves disconnected from TV, a vital conduit for news and information, if they find the technology confusing or are unable to afford new broadband connections.
Volunteer army to carry out tech demos
