Helen Goodman says listeners cannot afford to buy new digital sets and accuses government of putting big business first
Shadow culture minister Helen Goodman has warned the government against a hasty switch to digital radio, saying the leap from analogue to digital would hit the poorest households hardest.
Goodman said the government, which is due to confirm its policy on the future of digital radio next month, was putting the interests of big business ahead of ordinary listeners, who she said should not be expected to pay for new digital sets at a time when household budgets were already stretched.
Goodman, the Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, was speaking ahead of a Commons debate about the issue on Thursday.
Thursday's adjournment debate in the Commons was called by Cheryl Gillan, Tory MP for Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire, about digital radio switchover and her local station, Mix 96.
"Given the cost of living crisis this is not the time to force the majority of people in this country to spend £50 or more on buying a new digital radio," said Goodman.
"Pressing ahead with this when everybody's budgets are stretched, this is just another example of ministers in government listening to companies and the people who are running technology firms, and not being in touch with ordinary people.
"The socio-economics of this show that people on low incomes are less likely to be using digital radio than people on higher incomes, so the cost will fall disproportionately on the people with lower incomes.
Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, communications and creative industries, is due to clarify the government's switchover plans on 16 December.
Commercial radio trade body, the Radio Centre, has said it hoped switchover could be completed by 2018, three years later than an earlier mooted date of 2015.
But a consortium of 80 commercial stations, since risen to around 100, came out in opposition to switchover earlier this month, claiming the move would jeopardise local radio and cost households "several hundred pounds" each.
Digital take-up has not been as fast as was once expected, with 35.6% of all listening via digital platforms, around two-thirds of this to DAB radio. DAB coverage also falls a long way short of analogue radio via FM and AM, and it remains unclear how the future rollout of DAB transmitters will be funded.
When Labour was still in government in 2009 it indicated a two-year radio switchover plan would not kick in until at least 50% of listening was via digital platforms.
Goodman suggested this should be raised to at least 75% of all listening before any switchover target was set, with 50% of listening via DAB.
Goodman said: "We know that fewer than 20% of radios being used are digital and only a quarter of radio listening is to digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio. There is a particular problem in cars."
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Shadow culture minister Helen Goodman has warned the government against a hasty switch to digital radio, saying the leap from analogue to digital would hit the poorest households hardest.
Goodman said the government, which is due to confirm its policy on the future of digital radio next month, was putting the interests of big business ahead of ordinary listeners, who she said should not be expected to pay for new digital sets at a time when household budgets were already stretched.
Goodman, the Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, was speaking ahead of a Commons debate about the issue on Thursday.
Thursday's adjournment debate in the Commons was called by Cheryl Gillan, Tory MP for Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire, about digital radio switchover and her local station, Mix 96.
"Given the cost of living crisis this is not the time to force the majority of people in this country to spend £50 or more on buying a new digital radio," said Goodman.
"Pressing ahead with this when everybody's budgets are stretched, this is just another example of ministers in government listening to companies and the people who are running technology firms, and not being in touch with ordinary people.
"The socio-economics of this show that people on low incomes are less likely to be using digital radio than people on higher incomes, so the cost will fall disproportionately on the people with lower incomes.
Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, communications and creative industries, is due to clarify the government's switchover plans on 16 December.
Commercial radio trade body, the Radio Centre, has said it hoped switchover could be completed by 2018, three years later than an earlier mooted date of 2015.
But a consortium of 80 commercial stations, since risen to around 100, came out in opposition to switchover earlier this month, claiming the move would jeopardise local radio and cost households "several hundred pounds" each.
Digital take-up has not been as fast as was once expected, with 35.6% of all listening via digital platforms, around two-thirds of this to DAB radio. DAB coverage also falls a long way short of analogue radio via FM and AM, and it remains unclear how the future rollout of DAB transmitters will be funded.
When Labour was still in government in 2009 it indicated a two-year radio switchover plan would not kick in until at least 50% of listening was via digital platforms.
Goodman suggested this should be raised to at least 75% of all listening before any switchover target was set, with 50% of listening via DAB.
Goodman said: "We know that fewer than 20% of radios being used are digital and only a quarter of radio listening is to digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio. There is a particular problem in cars."
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email media@theguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 days ago.