In collaboration with the Arcom, and in accordance with article 22 of Act no. 86-1067 of 30 September 1986 on freedom of communication, the Agency ensures that digital terrestrial television (DTT) signals received over the air, i.e. via the television aerials installed on roofs, are properly received.
When does the ANFR take action?
Faulty reception may be due to a defective installation. This is the home owner’s or the resident’s responsibility in a single-family house, or that of the building manager in collective housing. They therefore need to call in a TV aerial specialist to restore the equipment to working order. The ANFR provides its technical expertise when malfunctions are unrelated to the installation, such as transmitter malfunctions, frequency changes, or interference following the commissioning of 4G or 5G sites (700-800 MHz). The Agency then requires the originators of the interference to remedy it.
4G, 5G and DTT
Mobile operators have been rolling out 4G services since 2012 and 5G services since December 2020. An assistance and intervention system has been rolled out by the ANFR and the mobile phone operators. When viewers call 0 970 818 818 (toll free call) or access the assistance.recevoirlatnt.fr website, a diagnosis is made and, if interference is proven to be caused by the commissioning of a 4G or 5G station in the 700 or 800MHz bands, a professional is despatched to the viewer’s home to deal with it. The implemented solutions are financed by the mobile phone operators.
Financial aid
Decree no. 2017-1048 of 10 May 2017 on the television reception support fund (FARTV) allows the ANFR to grant financial aid to support viewers in adapting their television equipment, and to guarantee the continuity of television channel reception when it is durably disrupted. It is the ANFR Board of Directors that decides when these subsidies are made available. Individuals and residential building managers in the towns and cities concerned can benefit from this scheme. These subsidies are not means-tested and only apply to main residences, whether it is a detached or collective dwelling.
To qualify, viewers who have paid their television licences in full must go to www.recevoirlatnt.fr and fill in an online form. The invoice and a certificate that the work has been carried out by an aerial installer are essential for submitting an application for a subsidy.
To find out more
Are you having with television reception via a television aerial? Go to our recevoirlatnt.fr website and ask for online help or make a complaint online.