The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa is inviting interested stakeholders to take part in its initiative to review the current analogue broadcasting regulatory framework.
The regulator is reviewing the current framework in a bid to be in line with the “digital era”. South Africa is migrating to digital television using the latest European standard, DVB-T2.
SA plans to soft launch the new signal in April this year, with a commercial launch slated for September. The country will turn off analogue broadcasting towards the end of 2013, a year-and-a-half before the International Telecommunications Union stops protecting the outdated signal.
ICASA says it needs to review the analogue broadcasting regulatory regime because of the move to digital television. It says the current regime does not fit in with the reality of digital TV and the expected increase in competing media services.
“The overall objective is to ensure that regulatory frameworks for broadcasting services promote the development of public, commercial and community broadcasting services, which in the context of digital convergence and migration, are responsive to the needs of the public, which promotes a plurality of views, news and information,” it says.
According to an issues paper published by the authority, previously there have been two reviews of the broadcasting regulatory environment - one in 1996 and another in 1999 - but both of these took place while SA was on analogue TV.
The issues paper can be found on ICASA's Web site and it will also hold public workshops so that it can “make sure that regulations are structured in such a way that they address all concerns and provide for a seamless broadcasting service”.
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