Communications minister Faith Muthambi has once again emphatically stated she is taking control of the country's stalled broadcast digital migration process, saying she has "initiated the process of reviving" the switch-over.
Addressing a digital terrestrial television (DTT) implementation and planning workshop, in Pretoria yesterday, Muthambi stated: "The time has come for us to revive the DTT project and inject new energy into it, and as a department, we've put measures in place to bring the DTT project back on track.
"It is now the time for the nation to embark on the switch-on stage of the digital migration project."
The digital migration process again ground to a halt when the migration policy was sent to Cabinet, at the end of August, for final approval. Since then, there has been no news about its progress, as government reportedly deliberates set-top box (STB) standards, particularly in regard to controls and encryption.
While neither the Department of Communications (DOC), nor the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) have been able to shed light on the policy's progress, both departments have claimed ownership of the digital migration process. This has sparked speculation of a power struggle over the initiative between Muthambi and telecommunications and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele, which both departments have denied.
Members of the Portfolio Committee on Telecoms and Postal Services have recently been told a presidential proclamation is being drafted that will determine which department takes ultimate control of the process. In the meantime, Muthambi has been far more vocal than Cwele about claiming possession of the project, insisting she is ultimately responsible for driving the project.
Awareness campaign
Muthambi told the workshop "very soon" there would be a massive awareness campaign across the country to get South Africans ready for the digital migration. In terms of network readiness, the country is standing at 82%, while the broadcasting companies in the country, including the public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, are ready with content.
Muthambi also revealed, in recent months, she held consultative meetings with all the role-players in the digital migration project, and reiterated the country would use STBs for digital signal reception on an ordinary analogue television set.
"Uncertainty was created around whether we should continue to rollout the STBs, as was initially planned, or lead the South African nation to leapfrog that stage and move directly to iDTVs [television sets with integrated digital tuners].
"I am happy to confirm that, after my consultations with other key stakeholders, I have reached the conclusion that STBs will still remain as the preferred device to be used for the launch of digital migration in South Africa."
However, she said this did not mean iDTVs were unacceptable. "We simply believe that they will evolve into the second phase of digital migration."
Delaying factors
Muthambi singled out digital migration policy and legislation as some of the main challenges delaying the project. "As government, we have this ultimate responsibility to develop a broadcasting policy environment, which takes into account the people's constitutional rights of access to broadcasting services."
The second challenge, she said, is whether to adopt a control access system for STBs, adding the issue of "control access or no control access will have a wide-ranging impact on the future of broadcasting, communications and on the majority of citizens in the country".
"At this point, I have conducted significant consultations and I have also taken into account the developments that led to the impasse and the stagnation. I am close to reaching finality, which I will be able to announce after consultation with Cabinet. I have prioritised that this matter is served on Cabinet before year-end."
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of telecoms and postal services Marian Shinn says Muthambi is trying to grab territory that does not fall within her executive authority - defined by the Acts of Parliament allocated to her ministry by the president. She adds the departmental skills for the DTT migration are all within the DTPS, not the DOC.
"As for her announcement that SA is going the STB route - that's a six-year-old headline. Former communications minister Yunus Carrim looked very seriously at the issue of integrated digital TV sets rather than STBs, and the cost - even with the massive bulk discount power of five million sets - was clearly unaffordable. Pity, because that would have been a simpler option for the subsidy.
"The DTT action - such as it is right now - is happening under the DTPS - the latest move being the release by USAASA [Universal Service and Access Agency of SA] last week of the draft qualifications for subsidised STBs."
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