§ Mr. DykesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce amendments to the existing broadcast receiving legislation to enable domestic consumers to share satellite receiving single dish aerials without seeking official approval as licensable cable services.
§ Mr. RentonA satellite receiving system serving two or more homes (commonly known as a SMATV system) is generally a licensable diffusion service for the purposes of the Cable and Broadcasting Act 1984 and thus requires a licence from the cable authority. A system carrying only the services of an IBA DBS contractor would not, however, require a licence. We are considering the future arrangements for such systems as part of the follow-up to our recent White Paper, "Broadcasting in the '90s: Competition, Choice and Quality".