A STATE-wide initiative to help the public in making the switchover from analogue to digital television before October has been unveiled.
About 250,000 people still use the analogue service which will be switched off on October 24th. According to a study conducted in November 2011, one-eighth of the population remains unaware of the impending digital switchover.
Minister for Communications, Pat Rabbitte yesterday announced an agreement with national voluntary organisation The Wheel to develop and operate a State-wide community outreach digital switchover programme. Aimed primarily at the elderly, isolated and disadvantaged, the programme to promote the switchover will be available to everyone when it is rolled out across the State in April 2012.
The community outreach digital switchover programme will be managed and co-ordinated by The Wheel in conjunction with Irish Rural Link. Chief executive of Irish Rural Link Séamus Boland said: “It’s about caring for our neighbours, we will assist people at a local level in ensuring that nobody in their community gets left behind in the switchover.”
Chief executive of The Wheel Deirdre Garvey promised to “involve community and voluntary organisations in every area of the country in reaching out to the people who otherwise would not make the switch to a digital television service”.
Between now and April 2012 The Wheel and its national advisory group comprising members of the Department of Communications, Irish Rural Link, Age Action Ireland, GAA Social Initiative, the Disability Federation of Ireland, Society of St Vincent De Paul, Irish Farmers’ Association, ICMSA, Rural Transport Initiative and the National Network of Community Services projects, will be ensuring adequate personnel with the information and knowledge to assist with the digital switchover are in place in every county.
Guidance on the switchover is available at www.goingdigital.ie, through LoCall 1890-940980 and (Irish language) 1890-940970.