The move by the department of culture, media and sport to extend the second round of consultation is seen as a direct snub to BBC director general Greg Dyke. Dyke is a Labour supporter who donated money to the party before he joined the corporation.
The department of culture's broadcasting minister Kim Howells said the proposals needed "careful consideration". He is believed to be apprehensive about the corporation's plans to launch two daytime children's channels into an already saturated market, which is served well by the commercial sector.
On Wednesday, the BBC called for the government to speed up the approval process so it could get on with its plans and launch the free-to-air channels by the end of the year.
Dyke believes that the BBC's proposed free digital channels would help speed up the switch-off of the analogue signal. He argues that if the equipment was provided to people who are sceptical about paying for digital services, they would be able to receive the BBC's digital offering for free because it had already been paid by the licence fee.
Howells said yesterday that the government's plans to switch off the analogue signal between 2006 and 2010 were in doubt.
A decision is not expected from the department of culture until late summer. The deadline for the extended consultation Howells has ordered, which will involve obtaining further information from the BBC about its proposals, is July 27.