Some households may still be unaware of digital broadcasting transition: Yaacob

SINGAPORE — More than 18 months after the launch of the Digital TV (DTV) Assistance Scheme, less than half of the notified eligible households have come on board the initiative, which provides low-income households with a free digital set-top box and an indoor antenna.

Adding that there could be several reasons a household may choose not to accept the assistance package — including the fact that some may already subscribe to pay television or have bought newer TV models that are DTV-ready — Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim nevertheless expressed concern that some households may still be unaware of the transition to digital broadcasting, despite letters sent to them. “We will continue to engage the public and our stakeholders to raise DTV awareness,” said Dr Yaacob in Parliament yesterday, in response to questions by Member of Parliament (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) Sun Xueling.

Analogue broadcasts will end next year. In the lead up to that, the Media Development Authority Singapore (MDA) will step up publicity, and track and encourage early adoption among households.

The MDA has also worked with voluntary welfare organisations and senior-activity centres to reach out to the elderly and the disabled to assist them with the digital switchover, said Dr Yaacob. “We are confident that more and more households will switch to DTV as we near the shutdown of analogue TV broadcasts.”

Close to 39,000 households of the 84,000 notified households have received the DTV assistance package, which will enable them to use their existing TV sets to receive DTV signals. “MDA assesses that the adoption rate of 46 per cent for the assistance scheme is a good sign,” said Dr Yaacob.

He added that the MDA is on track to notifying all 160,000 eligible households by early next year when all estates are able to receive good indoor DTV reception. DTV information booklets in the four vernacular languages are sent to homes once the estate is DTV-ready. Eligible households for the assistance scheme will also be notified, and application forms can be retrieved from community centres and social-welfare offices.

In a survey conducted by the MDA in December last year, 62 per cent of households said they knew how to receive DTV channels, said Dr Yaacob. CLIFFORD LEE