The Advanced Television Services Regulations 2003

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations implement Article 4(2) of Directive 2002/19/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on access to, and interconnection of, electronic communications networks and associated facilities (O.J. No. L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 7, “the Access Directive”) and Article 24 of and Annex VI to Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (O.J. No. L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 51, “the Universal Service Directive”).

Regulation 4 implements Article 4(2) of the Access Directive, which imposes a duty on those transmitting or re-distributing digital television to transmit it in wide-screen (16:9) format.

Regulation 5 implements paragraph 1 of Annex VI to the Universal Service Directive, which requires all television sets to be able to descramble the common scrambling algorithm. Regulations 6 and 7 implement paragraph 2 of Annex VI to the Universal Service Directive: these create technical standards for analogue and digital televisions respectively.

Regulation 8 introduces Schedule 1, which provides for enforcement powers in relation to regulations 5, 6 and 7 on descramblers, integrated sockets in analogue televisions and integrated sockets in digital televisions respectively.

These Regulations replace the earlier standards provided for in the Advanced Television Services Regulations 1996, which implemented Directive 95/47/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of standards for the transmission of television signals (O.J. No. L281, 23.11.95, p. 51), and revoke those Regulations, with savings for television sets on the market before these Regulations come into force (regulation 2).