Mackinlay, Andrew

That this House applauds the work done by the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) in highlighting the imminent threat to a £15 billion per annum British entertainment industry posed by the Digital Dividend Review being undertaken by Ofcom; recognises that there is no feasible commercial alternative to the use of analogue equipment in the Programme Making and Special Events sector and that Ofcom's plan to auction off the analogue spectrum is likely to damage irreparably a world leading industry and lead to the end of live performances and events; notes that the use of sufficient interleaved analogue spectrum is essential for the continued production of world class entertainment; and urges the Government to guarantee that sufficient quality and quantity of such spectrum be available to prevent the collapse of such a renowned and valuable UK industry.