U.K. ALLOCATED TOO MUCH TO DIGITAL SWITCHOVER CAMPAIGN

It seems that Britain’s efforts to inform TV viewers of the country’s switch from analog to digital broadcasting have gone off more smoothly there than they did in America. In fact, although the U.S. was forced to extend the deadline for the switch in many areas last year and pump more money into underwriting settop converters, the switchover in the U.K. has proceeded seamlessly. In fact, it has gone so well that Digital U.K., the nonprofit group formed by British broadcasters to assist consumers in making the conversion, says that it will wind up with a surplus of more than $80 million, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported today (Wednesday). Moreover, that figure is in addition to the $370 million surplus of the fund set up to assist elderly users purchase settop converter boxes. A government spokeswoman told the Guardian that the surplus would be used “to support broadband” but she provided no details. “In terms of specifics,” she said, “things are still being finalized.”