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Cable Television: Licence Applications

Volume 445: debated on Monday 28 November 1983

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asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will name the successful applicants for cable pilot project licences.

Thirty-seven applicants for pilot project licences have been received and given careful consideration with the help of an evaluation carried out by EIU Informatics Ltd. based on the criteria set out in the White Paper on the Development of Cable Systems and Services (Cmnd. 8866) and on advice from an independent advisory panel appointed to consider whether the EIU report represented a sound and proper basis for decisions as to the grant of licences. We now propose holding discussions with 11 applicants to explore further some specific points in their applications. Provided that these discussions are concluded to our satisfaction we shall issue pilot project licences to them. Those applications are:

Aberdeen Cable Services Ltd.Aberdeen
CableTel Communications Ltd.Ealing
Clyde Cable Vision Ltd.North Glasgow
Coventry Cable Ltd.Coventry
Croydon Cable Television Ltd.Croydon
Merseyside Cable Vision Ltd.South Liverpool
Rediffusion Consumer Electronics Ltd.Guildford
Swindon Cable Services Ltd.Swindon
Ulster Cablevision Ltd.Belfast
Westminster Cable CompanyCity of Westminster
Windsor Television Ltd.Windsor, Slough and Maidenhead
It will of course be open to those applicants not selected at this stage to put forward applications under arrangements to be operated by the Cable Authority whose creation will be the subject of cable legislation to be introduced in this House early next month.Additionally, as also foreseen in the White Paper, we have received applications for licences from 11 existing operators to provide new programme services over established systems in 166 areas. Consideration of these is not yet completed.