The commercial broadcasting stations calculate that the calendar designed by Industry for the extension of the signs will be supposed to every operator by a sobrecoste for 9,7 million euros a year.

The terrestrial digital television does not stop detaching. About 15 % of the hearths has installed the necessary decoders to receive the signs. But the spectators give the back to a system that at the moment does not contribute novel contents. The operators complain about the high costs that the production transports and, especially, the distribution of the sign. That's why, six chains grouped in the Union of Commercials television Associate (Uteca) they have asked to the State Department of Telecommunications and for the Information society it to stand out 90 % of the population "the obligatory maximum coverage" of the channels of TDT of national ambience. This is the case of Antenna 3, TV 5, Sogecable, The Sixth, Net TV and I see TV, the companies that integrate Uteca.

The private operators propose that if it is 90 % extends the expenses run due to the public administrations (autonomic or local) or the operator who wants to extend his coverage. In any case, they ask that the companies should be compensated economically by an amount equivalent to the "public clear cost of the service".

Initially, the technical plan was placing the maximum coverage in 95 % of the population for the private televisions and 98 % for the public ones. Nevertheless, in 2006, a royal decree raised to 96 % the level that the first ones had to reach in April, 2010 and it was establishing intermediate period of expansion of the sign.

Since the transitional period began the TDT, the costs of the emission of four national channels (Antenna 3, TV 5, Four and The Sixth one) are 67 millions. This number there join those that there bears the diffusion of another 15 digital channels: between 45 and 75 millions, according to the coverage. And quite without the televisions obtaining no benefit, because the TDT has a residual hearing.

Uteca calculates that, according to the tariffs of Abertis (the company that distributes the signs), the cost of the whole private sector would be trebled if there is supported the obligation to spread the signs simultaneously in two systems (analogical and digital) until 2010. That's why they propose that along with the calendar of enlargement of the TDT to be established other of the progressive cessation of the analogical emission.

Also they think that the obligation to come to 96 % of the population places them almost in the same plane as the public ones. They allege that in 1988, when the private televisions were awarded, only they were required to reach a coverage of 80 %. "It is not possible to claim that the private operators reinforce his investments in contents of significant form if, while, the State regulates a few increases of coverage of universal service" that would imply "a few strongest and disproportionate expenses".

Inside the community environment, the Spanish televisions are those that major coverage requirements have. Uteca underlines that in other countries the operators of network or the users receive economic aids for extending the TDT.


(24/01/07)