Letter: Digital `poll tax'

Tuesday 03 August 1999 23:02 BST

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ir: In all the debate over an extra licence fee for a digital television ("TV licence `poll tax' for all digital subscribers", 2 August) the obvious seems to have been overlooked.

The main reason that a government would be interested in digital transmission is nothing to do with the interesting but unasked-for services this could add to the television viewing experience but that the technology crams the programmes into a much smaller radio space, freeing up lots of lucrative radio spectrum. This the Government will action off.

The solution would be to offer the BBC some of the profits arising from this, guaranteeing a certain amount to allow borrowing against this future income.

STEVE HARDY

Eastbourne, East Sussex

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