§ 55. Sir Charles Barrieasked the Postmaster-General whether he is now in a position to make a statement regarding the proposed establishment by the Post Office of a public wire-broadcasting service at Southampton?
§ The Assistant Postmaster-General (Sir Walter Womersley)It is proposed to introduce a public experimental wire-broadcasting service at Southampton during the course of 1938. The service will be undertaken as a part of the practical experimental work in wire distribution of broadcast programmes, with which the Post Office has been charged, in accordance with the Government's proposals in the White Paper on the recommendations of the Committee on Broadcasting, 1935 (Cmd. 5207). In addition to the main public service distributed by means of a special wire net work, a limited experiment will be made in the distribution of broadcast programmes over the telephone wires. Subscribers will have a choice of several broadcast programmes; and I am 2155 in consultation with the British Broadcasting Corporation concerning the arrangements for their selection. The charge for the service will be 1s. 6d. a week plus a small initial payment. This does not include a loud speaker which will be provided or paid for by the subscriber. It is hoped to start work on the laying down of equipment within the next few months and to open the service in part of Southampton in the late summer or the autumn. The total capital cost of providing such a service in the Southampton area will, it is estimated, be about £200,000, of which only about £2,000 will be spent during the present financial year, and for which a supplementary estimate will be presented in the spring.
§ Mr. DayWill this wireless telephone service be open to all telephone subscribers all over the United Kingdom?