Terrestrial digital TV switch comes at a cost

The switchover from analog television broadcasting to terrestrial digital format in July 2011 will go off without a hitch, right?

Wrong.

With less than two years to go until the changeover, various problems have yet to be ironed out.

For example, some districts in the ancient capital of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, cannot receive terrestrial digital broadcast signals because construction of a relay station is being blocked by the city government, which insists a structure of that height would be an eyesore.

Meanwhile, in a few districts of central Tokyo where analog broadcast facilities have already been removed, some residents are locked out because they cannot afford digital-capable equipment.

In October last year, a council set up by the government and commercial broadcasters to promote terrestrial digital broadcasting in the Kanto region reported to the Kamakura city government: "If the problem remains unresolved, the digital signal will not reach 5,000 to 7,000 households, which corresponds to (up to) 10 percent of the households (in your city)."

Digital TV signals travel in a straight line. Kamakura, a coastal city, is surrounded on three sides by wooded hills, so the municipality faces some real obstacles. To solve the problem, the council proposed building a relay station atop Mount Kinubariyama, close to the central part of the city.

However, the mountain is designated by the Kamakura city government as a special preservation district based on the ancient capital preservation law. Thus, construction of any new facility is prohibited, in principle.

If the height of the facility is 20 meters or less, construction is still possible if the parties concerned reach agreement. However, the relay facility is 21 meters high. The city government demanded the broadcast council build the relay station elsewhere.

Typically, relay antennas are built on mountain ridges. Most of the mountainous areas in Kamakura are restricted. Therefore, the council is at a loss over where to build the facility.

"Though the city government wants us to find a different site, it's not that easy," said a central government official.

About a year has passed since the council made its report to Kamakura city bureaucrats. Neither party has budged. The council blames the city government.

"We are responsible for ensuring that all citizens have access to terrestrial digital TV broadcasts. That's not going to happen unless the city relents and lets us put up a relay station (in a restricted area)," said an official of the Kanto Bureau of Telecommunications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

However, the Kamakura city government has refused to make concessions.

"We want our city to be designated as a World Heritage site. It is impossible to make an exception for a central government plan," said an official of the city government's management planning department.

An alternative plan is to force citizens to subscribe to local cable television networks to view digital broadcasts. However, viewers would have to pay contract and monthly fees. On the other hand, construction of the mountain relay facility would allow viewers to watch without paying the fees.

Not surprisingly, local residents have differing opinions on the issue.

"The central government's way of doing things is harsh. I don't think that I want to watch (terrestrial digital) TV programs if it means destroying nature," said a 68-year-old man living at the foot of Mount Kinubariyama.

Tatsuro Kuranami, 81, chairman of a local community association in Kamakura's Zaimokuza district, said: "Even with analog TV broadcasts, we had lousy reception. It will be a good thing if the central government's plan improves viewing quality."

Kamakura Mayor Tokukazu Ishiwata says, "We will ask the central government to consider this issue very carefully."

Clearly, time is of the essence.

Other municipalities, such as Kyoto and Nara, which are also subject to the ancient capital preservation law, have solved similar problems by building relay antennas in neighboring prefectures.

The picture is bleak elsewhere, too. Haruo Sagehashi, 82, who lived in a two-story apartment house in the Omori-Nishi district in Tokyo's Ota Ward, stopped watching TV for a year until he moved on Sept. 4.

He said the reception was so poor in his old place that he simply unplugged the TV.

"Though I bought the set just three years ago, it was useless," he said.

The area is located in the shadow of high-rise buildings which block analog signals from Tokyo Tower.

Decades ago, residents in the area joined together and paid to erect a community antenna on a nearby building.

However, after 30 years of operation, it finally wore out and was removed in September last year.

It was decided not to replace the antenna because digital TV signals--which are more efficient than analog signals--were already available in the area.

The households decided to adopt a system that allowed each family to individually receive digital broadcasts.

The removal of the old antenna made it impossible for some households in the apartment house where Sagehashi was living to watch TV.

Many were low-income people who struggled to pay 44,000 yen a month in rent. They couldn't afford new TV sets or ultra high-frequency antennas to view terrestrial digital TV broadcasts.

The central government has announced a plan to provide digital tuners free to households that are living on welfare. However, Sagehashi does not belong to that category. Eventually, he moved to another apartment nearby where it is still possible to watch analog TV broadcasts.

According to the communications ministry, communal antennas are in use in 50,000 locations throughout the country, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. About 6 million households use them. However, only 10 percent have completed the switch to digital. Talks among residents have stalled in many areas over cost questions.

Progress has also been slow in talks among residents of condominiums and apartment houses, especially those in urban areas.

In districts where it is difficult to receive terrestrial digital TV signals, cable networks are an option. However, the number of cable television operators is limited in each area. The fees imposed by them range widely from 500 yen to 4,000 yen a month depending on areas in the region in and around Tokyo, generating complaints that certain areas are at a price disadvantage.(IHT/Asahi: October 14,2009)