The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has issued a notice to suspend the issuing of frequency spectrum licence applications for community television broadcasters, as the country prepares to migrate towards digital terrestrial television.
SA's digital terrestrial television plans will see a switch from analogue broadcasting to fully digital broadcasting, and requires the production of set-top boxes - the decoders needed to watch digital TV.
ICASA claims the suspension is a result of the scarcity of radio frequency spectrum and is set to last until the finalisation of the dual-illumination period (the time when analogue and digital broadcasting will run simultaneously) set out in the Digital Migration Regulations published in the Government Gazette in February this year.
Executive director of the National Association of Broadcasters, Johann Koster, explains that community television falls under a special category called 'class licence' in terms of the Electronic Communications Act. This licensing type is specifically designed to fast-track the licensing of community media. “It is not an application process but a request for registration to the regulator. The regulator can only refuse such a request under very specific conditions,” he adds.
Having outlined this process, Koster explains why ICASA is justified in its course of action. “If ICASA is inundated with requests for registration by prospective community television operators, it will be forced to process these requests and possibly license many of these entities. However, ICASA would also need to find frequencies for these entities to operate on,” he notes.
The reality is that there are very few spare frequencies available in densely populated areas for both radio and television, notes Koster. “Add to this the fact that we would need additional frequencies when we launch digital television in SA - at least two free frequencies in every area across the country. This places a huge strain on the availability of frequencies in the short-to-medium term.”
To this end, Koster argues it's very likely a situation will develop where community television broadcasters are licensed but do not have frequencies to operate on. “I believe ICASA's decision is an attempt to avoid such a situation, ensure orderly frequency management, and avoid spectrum gridlock.”
ICASA explains that the finalisation of the dual-illumination period will enable the availability of additional radio frequency, which will lead to the licensing of additional electronic communication services, including community television broadcasting.
Koster agrees: “Many frequencies will become available once we start switching off the analogue television signals towards the end of the digital migration process and this is likely to start in 2015 only.” This is not an ideal situation for community television, he notes, as it would certainly be in the interest of communities to have such services available to them.
“However, we have to acknowledge that we simply do not have the spectrum resources to address those needs at this point in time. National policy and cabinet statements dictate that the migration to digital will receive priority for now,” concludes Koster.
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