The Department of Communications' changes to the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy will stifle competition in the broadcasting sector, and adversely affect poor people, argue those against the adjustments.
In terms of the recently-published gazette, communications minister Faith Muthambi mandated there will be a control system to stop subsidised boxes working on non-SA networks, and this "robust" control system will benefit those who own TVs because it will ensure they continue to receive free-to-air broadcasts.
About 65% of the 13 million homes with TV rely exclusively on free-to-air broadcasting services, notes the gazette. A turn-on date for digital TV has yet to be announced, although it is evident SA will not meet the International Telecommunication Union's 17 June deadline for migration.
The control system will not be able to encrypt signal, and is purely a means of protecting government's investment in subsidised boxes. However, individual broadcasters may, at their own cost, make decisions regarding encryption of content, notes the gazette.
Vast changes
The Right to Know (R2K) campaign has condemned Muthambi's decision to include the control system in set-top boxes (STBs), arguing this will be used to "squeeze the poor and force them to pay for essential access to information".
R2K argues the system makes it possible to use controls to cut off people who do not pay TV licences. However, previous communications ministers have said the state would not use this mechanism to enforce payment of South African Broadcasting Corporation licence fees.
The civil society organisation is also calling for government to provide free decoders to all TV-owning households.
In addition, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has called the changes to the policy "dubious" and "last minute". It notes the policy is now "markedly different" from the one approved by Cabinet in 2013.
The official opposition says Muthambi's "ill-intentioned" changes will stifle competition in the free-to-air market. In a statement, the party says the changes are not in the best interest of the industry or South African viewers.
Meanwhile, the South African Communications Forum, which is in favour of encryption, has noted "with interest" the recent amendment to the policy, but has not expressed a view on the changes.
The thorny issue of set-top box controls has held up digital migration since the end of 2012 after etv took former communications minister Dina Pule to court over her decision to have Sentech handle controls.
Share