Digital ‘bypass’ anger

ERIN PEARSON
RESIDENTS of two Surf Coast towns might have to pay for free-to-air digital television if broadcasters fail to upgrade a transmitter, according to an Independent investigation.
Households at Anglesea and Airey’s Inlet would have to spend around $1000 each for satellite dishes and boosters without the upgrade when analogue signals end in 2013.
Tourism business operator Justin Morris said Anglesea residents had responded with a petition demanding Federal Government action.
In the meantime residents and 30,000 tourists were “stuck with a substandard analogue signal”.
Mr Morris said the towns might never access digital transmission unless residents made their voices heard.
“There’s an antenna on top of the hill and all it needs is the infrastructure to change it from analog to digital. I don’t know what the hold up is.
“For some reason Anglesea, despite its size, is being left behind. We’re just forgotten about and no one is saying anything.
“Lorne just down the road already has digital.”
Anglesea and Airey’s Inlet receive their television signals from Melbourne but Lorne’s is from Ballarat.
A Government black-spot report identified parts of Anglesea and Airey’s Inlet as “candidates for digital television”.
But the Department of Broadband and Communications says broadcasters are responsible for converting black-spot transmitters.
If broadcasters refused to fund the upgrade the cost would fall on Surf Coast Shire, which manages the tower transmitting television signals to Surf Coast blackspots.
Mr Morris said the confusion was turning tourists away from his Anglesea Beachfront Family Caravan Park.
“I get a lot of complaints from my customers who have digital televisions in caravans and can’t pick up service and others can’t get it in their rooms,” he said.
“People are leaving early because they can’t get their TV channels. Waiting to at least the end of 2013 for any clarification is crazy.”
Federal Member for Corangamite Darren Cheeseman said he would liaise with the Government on the issue.
“I do understand there are some black spots and it’s frustrating that people are not able to see the benefits of digital television services.”