City residents want digital migration date pushed to June

Most Nairobi residents want the digital migration delayed by at least six months even as next week’s deadline threatens to switch off close to one million households.

An Infotrak survey released on Thursday shows that 64 per cent of television-owning households in the city want the December 13 deadline moved to next June to allow them save up to buy digital set top boxes.

The survey that was commissioned by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) showed that nearly half of Nairobi’s two million households are yet to buy set top boxes valued at between Sh4,000 and Sh16,000.

“It is noteworthy that readiness for digital TV migration was highest among the wealthy and highly educated and the current price of set top boxes is unaffordable to many, especially the poor,” the report noted in part.

The individuals polled want the country’s deadline extended to within a year of the international deadline and the cost of gadgets subsidised to a maximum of Sh1,000.

READ: Analogue TV signal switch-off deadline set for December

Three media houses have since moved to court seeking to push the deadline, arguing that they stood to suffer huge financial losses if the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) went ahead with its plan, an a position supported by the poll.

Infotrak polled 1,000 people around Nairobi from areas such as Westlands, Dagoretti, Lang’ata, Embakasi, Mathare, Kamukunji and Starehe, selecting people from varying income groups.

Most of them did not view the digital migration as a priority, saying this only comes secondary to needs such as food and transport, whose costs have increased with inflation.

The high cost of the converter is a deterrent to many Kenyans and the government has repeatedly stated its intention to introduce tax cuts to increase uptake and ensure the success of the project.

Migration to digital TV is part of a global initiative.

East African Community member states revised their deadline downwards to December 2012, to create headroom for coping with the aftermath of the move.
Nairobi is scheduled to be switched over first, with other major towns doing so on March 30, 2014.

Tanzania has already conducted the switch but attempts by Kenya to do so last year ran into problems, with Cofek arguing that millions across the country were not ready.

The deadline was pushed to this year but with the new one just a week away, it is emerging that many Kenyans are still not ready for the move.

“This means millions of Kenyans will not watch their TVs if CCK goes ahead and switches off analogue TV signals on December 13,” the report further stated.