§ 91. Sir D. McCallumasked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the situation in regard to radio and television reception of British Broadcasting Corporation services in the West Highlands and Islands; and to what extent this situation is due to shortage of funds on the part of the British Broadcasting Corporation and shortage of wave-lengths, respectively.
Dr. HillYes. I am aware that reception conditions in the West Highlands and Islands are very poor. The British Broadcasting Corporation has, however, been developing its services so as to benefit, within the limits of the resources available to it, the maximum number of people as early as possible. The cost of providing television service in the areas in which my hon. and gallant Friend is interested would be very high in relation to the population served. The present medium wave sound service could not be improved with the frequencies available.
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§ 92. Sir D. McCallumasked the Postmaster-General why his Department charges such high rentals to the British Broadcasting Corporation for land-lines to repeater stations, especially if the services are to provide adequate reception in the remote areas of the West Highlands and Islands.
Dr. HillLines to broadcasting stations in the West Highlands and Islands must, I am afraid, inevitably be expensive because of their great length.
§ 93. Sir D. McCallumasked the Postmaster-General whether he will ensure that the few remaining television wavelengths available in Band III, from which wavelengths for an extended Highlands and Islands British Broadcasting Corporation Television Service would have to come, are not all allocated to the Independent Television Service.
Dr. HillNo application has been made for allocation of channels in Band III for a B.B.C. television service in the Highlands and Islands, and in any event it will be some time before allocation of all the channels in Band III is settled. Both the B.B.C. and the I.T.A. have applied for channels in this Band.