News Release

12th January 2009

Wales Gets Switched On to Switchover Help Scheme

Older and disabled people will soon be offered help to switch over
to digital television with the launch of the Switchover Help Scheme in
Wales.

The Switchover Help Scheme has been set up to help eligible older
and disabled people to make the change to digital on one of their TV
sets.

People are eligible if they are:

• Aged 75 or over
• If they get (or could get) attendance or constant attendance allowance, mobility supplement or disability living allowance,
• If they have lived in a care home for six months or more,
• Or if they are registered blind or partially sighted.

For a one-off payment of £40, eligible people will be offered:

• Easy-to-use Freeview equipment to convert one television set
• Installation of that equipment
• An aerial check and upgrade if necessary, for people who own their own aerials
• A demonstration of how it works
• Someone to call for help while they are getting used to it.

This service is free for people who are eligible and also receive pension credit, income support or income based jobseekers allowance.

To make sure everyone gets the message, the Help Scheme have
launched a television advertising campaign which started to appear on
screens across Wales this weekend.

The two warm and humorous adverts featuring "Jean", a lady of nearly
80 and the other a blind man, called "Pete", started to run on HTV
Wales and S4C on 9 January and highlights how easy it is for eligible
older and disabled people to convert to digital with the Help Scheme.

The Help Scheme will also run local and poster advertising, staging
Help Scheme events in the lead up to switchover and is working
alongside Digital UK and with local charities and organisations to
spread the word.

Cheryl Lockyer, Help Scheme spokesperson in Wales, said:

"Digital switchover is coming, and we are here to do everything we
can to make sure that no-one eligible will be left behind. We will be
writing to everyone eligible explaining exactly what help is available
and what needs to be done. The most important thing is not to worry -
we will be in touch."

Those served by the west Wales transmitter group will be the first
in the country to switchover. This includes those living in Swansea
served by the Kilvey Hill transmitter which is due to switchover in a
two-stage process on 12 August and 9 September 2009, those living in
much of south west Wales served by the Preseli transmitter which will
switch on 19 August 2009 and 16 September 2009 and those in parts of
south and central Wales served by the Carmel transmitter which will
switch on 26 August and 23 September 2009.

Most eligible people will receive their first letter and information
pack between February 2009 and April 2009. People who think they are
eligible and haven't received a letter by July 2009, can call us for
free on 0800 40 85 903 if they require an English speaking service or 0800 40 85 904 if they need help in Welsh.

Those served by the north and south Wales transmitter groups will switch over later in 2009 and 2010.

The information pack will invite people to apply for the help
available. It sets out the standard offer which is available for £40 or
free, as well as offering a range of other ways to go digital with the
Help Scheme.

The standard offer in Wales is for an easy-to-use Freeview set top
box to convert one TV set. It can be delivered to the eligible
person's home, or they can choose to have it fully installed.
Eligible people unable to receive TV through an aerial after switchover
will be offered a freesat satellite system instead.

All eligible people can also choose from other digital options, some
of which cost extra. They include digital recorders; televisions with
digital built in, and satellite options from freesat from BBC and ITV and from Sky, including high definition options.

All options and prices are clearly set out in an information pack which will be sent direct to each eligible person's home.

To make it even easier, eligible people can choose to apply by calling the Help Scheme free on 0800 40 85 903 or 0800 40 85 904 instead, or they can nominate someone else to make their application for them.

The Help Scheme is run by the BBC through an agreement with the
Government, and has been designed around the needs of older and
disabled people. Equipment has been chosen to be easy to use, and
contact centre, delivery staff and installers have all been trained to
understand and respect older and disabled people. Installers are
vetted, carry identification and will never call without having made an
appointment.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Switchover Help Scheme

The Switchover Help Scheme is run by the BBC through an agreement
with the Government to help older and disabled people make the change
to digital.

In the run-up to switchover in each region, every eligible person
will be offered practical help to convert one of their TV sets to
digital. People are eligible if they are aged 75 years or more, or if
they are registered blind or partially sighted. Also eligible are
people who get (or could get) attendance or constant attendance
allowance, mobility supplement, or disability living allowance.

Most people will be asked to contribute £40 towards the help. The
service is free for people who are eligible and also get pension
credit, income support or income-based jobseekers allowance.

More information is available by calling 0800 40 85 902. or through visiting www.helpscheme.co.uk

Digital television switchover is the
process of converting the UK's terrestrial television system to
digital. Between now and 2012, analogue channels will be switched off
region by region and replaced with free-to-air digital TV and radio
services (Freeview). Switchover will extend Freeview coverage to the
whole of the UK and free up airwaves for new services such as
ultra-fast wireless broadband and mobile television.

Digital UK

Digital UK is the independent, not-for-profit organisation
established in 2005 to implement digital switchover. It is jointly
owned and funded by the public-service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel
4, Five, S4C and Teletext) and the digital multiplex operators.

eaga

eaga, the provider of residential energy efficiency and outsourcing
services, has been selected by the BBC as the Help Scheme service
provider to deliver the help available under the scheme from the ITV
Border region onwards.