The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) will hold public hearings to help it decide whether it should grant troubled pay-TV start-up Super5Media a fourth extension on its licence.
ICASA received a letter from the company on 2 August requesting an extension for a further six months.
The broadcaster was initially set to become operational in June last year, but applied to ICASA for an extension to September 2010.
In September, Super5Media requested another extension, based on the reasoning that its application for an Individual-Electronic Communications Network Service licence to self-provide had yet to be finalised by the authority.
Super5Media intends to provide its own signal distribution for its pay-TV service.
In March, the company was granted another six-month extension by the authority. There was no word from the company on why it needed the extra time.
This pushed its go-live date to around September this year, but this did not materialise.
Public word
ICASA spokesperson Paseka Maleka says Super5Media's most recent application for an extension was neither granted nor refused.
“Council has decided to subject this application to a public process in which all interested stakeholders can comment.”
“Let's hear what the public says. As ICASA we want to communicate. We are just a catalyst and cannot act on our verdict alone,” says ICASA chairman Stephen Mncube.
No date for the hearing has been set as yet.
No ducks
“We are not trying to punish people, but we don't just give licences for giving licences,” notes Mncube.
He adds that applying for the licence was supposed to have meant Super5 had all its plans in place and solid financing.
“If you just write a beautiful proposal and don't have your ducks in a row it denies the opportunity to others who want the licence.”
ITWeb was unable to contact Super5Media for comment by the time of publication.
Left behind
Super5Media has had a troubling start, with regulatory and shareholder issues holding back its initial plans to bring a new service to local TV viewers.
The company has also been the subject of media reports suggesting it had gone into liquidation.
Meanwhile, competing pay-TV provider TopTV turned a year old in May and continues to grow in the market, with its only competition being established player MultiChoice.
Super5Media hopes to come to market with three offerings, including Internet services, IPTV and a satellite service.
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