All etv wants is a successful digital migration process and it is willing to withdraw its court application if the regulator changed the rules, it says.
According to Vasili Vass, the company's GM for group communications, etv only approached the court because it felt it had no other recourse to address its concerns over regulations governing the migration process to digital TV.
He says: “If this changes, we would have a look at our options then.”
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) met yesterday to discuss the broadcaster's legal application and to discuss the possibility of changing the regulations.
Etv says a good regulatory framework is vital to a successful migration process. “Etv believes that incumbent broadcasters need to be protected through this costly process,” adds Vass.
The company is concerned about the timelines stipulated in the current iteration of the digital terrestrial TV migration regulations and the regulator says it's sympathetic to the broadcaster's concerns.
The current regulatory framework will see a two-year dual-illumination period, which is a stipulation of government policy. However, the current start date is from November last year, meaning all broadcasters need to be ready by November 2011.
Etv's concern is that there were still no regulations in place by last year, and the broadcasters had only begun to test the digital signal at that stage. Most broadcasters say they will be ready to run a commercial dual-illumination period by next year, meaning they would like to see the timeline extended.
“Timelines for a project like this are essential, but we need to be realistic and put structures in place, which will allow for the successful migration from analogue to digital television, without jeopardising the industry. If the timelines don't allow for this, they then need to be adjusted,” says Vass.
The current regulations stipulate the broadcasters will face a hefty fine if they do not meet the 2011 timeline.
Government may not be pleased with extending the dual-illumination period, since the Department of Communications will be funding it, along with subsidies for the new decoders that South Africans will need to watch TV.
However, ICASA councillor Robert Nkuna says the meeting yesterday would have included ideas on how to get industry and government talking, specifically about how the funding process can change and what aspects of the regulations need amending.
“There have been issues raised by government and industry, and we need to consolidate those,” he told ITWeb yesterday.
ICASA was not available this morning to comment on what had transpired at the meeting.
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