Re: @Lee D
So these amplifiers... who approved them for sale, who licensed them, who fitted them, who allowed them to transmit in those frequency ranges? Are they ones that people fitted or that were given to them by the previous government schemes? Do they carry the FreeView / CE logos?
There are as many answers as there are questions. Some of the amplifiers are good quality, some are not. Some are cheap, some are expensive. Some were bought in B&Q and fitted as DIY, some were fitted by CAI professionals. All undoubtedly have a CE mark, since they can't be sold without it, but in these days of self-certification that's not worth the paper its printed on.
They can't all just be unplugged, some are fitted on the tops of masts, some are built-in to the aerials, some are still needed in weak-signal areas.
That's why no-one knows what it wil cost, since no-one knows how widespread the problem may be.
The fact is that OfCom should KNOW that's what happened and tell people not to fit amplifiers and/or regulate the sale of amplifiers to only approved installers to where it didn't matter. That's kind-of their only job.
It's not remotely their job, there is no legal requirement to have your TV installed by a certified installer, although it's perhaps a good idea if you want a professional job. Installers who choose to be are governed by the CAI codes of practice, but government hasn't tried to legislate home entertainment products since the 1950's, it would not be tolerated. Can you imagine the outcry if OfCom required an amplifier licence before you could legally watch digital TV in a weak-signal area? :)
The fact remains that these amplifiers were necessary and fit for the purpose for which they were sold at the time they were sold. OfCom has moved the goalposts, and someone is going to have to pick up the tab for any problems that it might, or might not, cause. We'll just have to wait and see if there is a real problem.