Ofcom’s consultation on the DDR closed yesterday and a final decision is expected by June of this year. We found another petition on the issue on the No. 10 website which has now closed and received a response from the government.

The petition’s title: We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to force Ofcom to allocate the unused radio spectrum after the analogue switchover to HDTV services.

Content: In 2012, analogue television services will be switched off. It is likely that Ofcom (the regulator) will sell the radio frequencies (parts of the radio spectrum) that the analogue channels used to mobile phone companies. We believe that Britain still needs to be the world leader in broadcasting. As a result of allocating these frequencies to HDTV (High-definition television) broadcasts we think that Britain can continue to lead the world in television in the same way that John Logie Baird did in the 1930s. Countries such as America and Australia are already rolling out this technology but Britain has been left behind because of the lack of spectrum space.

The Government’s Response: The Government recognises that HD is one of many applications that could utilise spectrum released by Digital Switchover.

Like Ofcom, the Government believes that technology-neutral auctions offer the most effective way of allocating spectrum. However, we also accept Ofcom’s view that some applications generate benefits for society, and that it is vital that these benefits continue to be captured in a world where spectrum if a flexible, market-based resource.

Spectrum management is now a matter for Ofcom, the independent regulator of the communications sector. On 19 December, Ofcom issued a consultation document on the Digital Dividend Review (which is concerned with the allocation of spectrum released by Digital Switchover). The consultation ends on 20 March 2007 and the Government looks forward to the developing debate the consultation has generated.