|
At the fifth meeting of the Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting National Movement Headquarters (Director-general: Yoshihiro Katayama, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications), held on January 24, 2011, the promotion of exercises entitled “Nation-wide calls and reminders by terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers” and “Beware of terrestrial digital broadcasting swindles!” were noted as the subjects of a final national movement. The respective outlines of these exercises are as described below.
1. Nation-wide calls and reminders by terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers
The period for this exercise will run from January 24 until the end of August, 2011, with items (1) through (3) to be carried out as part of the exercise entitled “Nation-wide calls and reminders by terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers.”
(1) Nation-wide expansion of call and reminder exercise by “terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers”
i. Outline of exercise
This will be rolled out as a nation-wide grass-roots movement prompted by regional activities providing digital support to local senior citizens and other persons who presently lack such support. Specifically, organizations such as volunteer organizations, NPOs, neighborhood associations and councils in each area will act as “terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers,” conducting the initiatives described below (in some cases, only certain parts of A through C may be carried out) free of charge on or shortly after activity days.
A. Calls and reminders such as “Have you switched over to terrestrial digital broadcasting?”, “When you watch television now, does the 'Analog' label still appear on the screen?” and “Are you aware that Digi-Support can help you?”
B. Distribution of cards and materials printed with consultation numbers (for call centers and Digi-Support)
C. If necessary, contacting Digi-Support to commission door-to-door visits for senior citizens
ii. Organizations conducting activities
Around 200,000 volunteers are scheduled to be active, coming from the Scout Association of Japan, the nation-wide Mothers' Club organization, municipal staff, district welfare officers, regional volunteers and NPOs, etc., with the range of participants set to be extended in order.
(2) Entrusting of terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteer special advisers
Persons among the volunteer base who can provide digitalization support to senior citizens and others or contribute to activities promoting the regional spread of terrestrial digital broadcasting will be entrusted as “terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteer special advisers.” On January 26, television personality Mako Hattori will be entrusted as one of these special advisers, and thereafter personalities relevant to each area will be entrusted in the same way.
(3) Support for terrestrial digital broadcasting activities by Digi-Support (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Television Recipient Support Center)
Digi-Support will support the activities of terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers in the following ways:
A. Publishing corporate names on website (as a general rule) after the registration of cooperating organizations
B. Providing cooperating organizations with cards and materials required for terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteer activities
C. Responding to the hopes of cooperating organizations by implementing the necessary provision of information in advance by means of short courses, etc.
D. Establishing dedicated inquiry counters and providing support for consultations from terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers
If there is demand from senior citizens or others for door-to-door visits, Digi-Support will visit the individuals and help with digitalization.
2. “Beware of terrestrial digital broadcasting swindles!” exercise
The period for this exercise will run from January 24 until July 24, 2011, with authorized persons to carry out the initiatives described below, including education for defense against being harmed by increasingly prevalent unscrupulous terrestrial digital broadcasting-related businesses.
(1) Establishment of month-long period for “Beware of terrestrial digital broadcasting swindles!” exercise
As well as establishing a month during which trade associations, etc. relating to the promotion of terrestrial digital broadcasting will place extra importance on taking measures against unscrupulous business, initiatives such as extensive reminder activities will also be carried out.
(2) Reinforcement of general reminders
i. Implementation of calls reminding people about unscrupulous businesses
The month-long period described in (1) will be applied, with relevant trade associations contacting customers, while Digi-Support, terrestrial digital broadcasting volunteers and district welfare officers will use the opportunity to contact senior citizens and other by actively calling to remind them about unscrupulous businesses.
ii. Reminders such as “Is this a terrestrial digital broadcasting swindle? Is this for real, or is it bogus?” etc.
On the basis of examples of unscrupulous business that one ought to be warned about, extensive general reminders will be given through the websites of Digi-Support and relevant trade associations as well as leaflets explaining fundamental knowledge of terrestrial digital broadcasting in an easy-to-understand quiz format and leaflets produced in cooperation with consumer groups (refer to attachments).
iii. Implementation of “question-format reminders” by consultation assistants at terrestrial digital broadcasting call centers, etc.
During the brief time while callers wait to be connected to operators at terrestrial digital broadcasting call centers, etc., consultation assistants will circulate attention-catching messages concerning unscrupulous businesses (this will commence at the end of February, once specific messages have been considered).
iv. Reminders through broadcasting
Broadcasting initiatives will be reinforced, with attention-catching programs, etc. concerning unscrupulous businesses.
+++++++++++++++
For further information about this press release, please fill in the inquiry form and submit it to MIC on the website
http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/eng/contact.html
International Policy Division,
Global ICT Strategy Bureau, MIC
TEL: +81 3 5253 5374 / FAX: +81 3 5253 5924 |
