Public hearings on digital TV announced
Cape Town – After saying that there will be no public hearings over the latest draft regulations for digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa, South Africa’s broadcasting regulator has now changed its mind and will have three days of public hearings next week.
After the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) told Channel24 that there won’t be any public hearings in an attempt to “speed up the process” of South Africa’s far-lagging migration process to DTT, Icasa will now have public hearings from Tuesday 21 August to Thursday 23 August.
A massive 17 respondents out of the 18 who’ve made written submissions have implored Icasa to have public hearings over the draft regulations.
The public hearings will consist of a big group of stakeholders, ranging from commercial and public broadcasters to community broadcasters and media groups all making oral representations before Icasa over the course of three days. Stakeholders and the public can attend.
Digital TV switch massively delayed
South Africa’s digital television switch-over is massively delayed despite the government and the department of communications constantly – since 2002 – saying that the process “is on track”.
As several countries in Africa – the latest was Namibia in July – keep passing South Africa with the switch-over from analogue to digital broadcasting, it appears that the latest date of October which was given by government at the beginning of the year for switch-on, will also not be met.
No set top boxes (STBs) necessary will be available by October and none will be able to be commercially sold since no tenders have yet been awarded.
It takes at least three months for a STB to be manufactured according to specifications and meanwhile the DTT regulations are still being debated as well.
The Right to Know Campaign, a public pressure group; as well as the SABC, e.tv, M-Net, TopTV and WowTV are set to give public oral feedback and make presentations before Icasa at the hearings.
SA viewers largely clueless
On Wednesday, 22 August Kagiso Media, Ellipsis, DRM and the Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS), Primedia and Cape TV will do public presentations before Icasa on DTT.
On Thursday Avusa, Highway Africa, SKA and Banzi-Net will appear before Icasa to talk about DTT in South Africa.
South African viewers are largely clueless about the massive impending change which will require them to buy a STB costing about R700 with a new antenna which will also be required in the majority of cases.
Besides announcing that the South African Post Office will be used, the government has made no announcements on specifically how the subsidy scheme for only the poorest households will be working.
The government plans to subsidise the so-called “poorest of the poor” TV households only with a certain amount of money to buy a STB.
Cape Town – After saying that there will be no public hearings over the latest draft regulations for digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa, South Africa’s broadcasting regulator has now changed its mind and will have three days of public hearings next week.
After the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) told Channel24 that there won’t be any public hearings in an attempt to “speed up the process” of South Africa’s far-lagging migration process to DTT, Icasa will now have public hearings from Tuesday 21 August to Thursday 23 August.
A massive 17 respondents out of the 18 who’ve made written submissions have implored Icasa to have public hearings over the draft regulations.
The public hearings will consist of a big group of stakeholders, ranging from commercial and public broadcasters to community broadcasters and media groups all making oral representations before Icasa over the course of three days. Stakeholders and the public can attend.
Digital TV switch massively delayed
South Africa’s digital television switch-over is massively delayed despite the government and the department of communications constantly – since 2002 – saying that the process “is on track”.
As several countries in Africa – the latest was Namibia in July – keep passing South Africa with the switch-over from analogue to digital broadcasting, it appears that the latest date of October which was given by government at the beginning of the year for switch-on, will also not be met.
No set top boxes (STBs) necessary will be available by October and none will be able to be commercially sold since no tenders have yet been awarded.
It takes at least three months for a STB to be manufactured according to specifications and meanwhile the DTT regulations are still being debated as well.
The Right to Know Campaign, a public pressure group; as well as the SABC, e.tv, M-Net, TopTV and WowTV are set to give public oral feedback and make presentations before Icasa at the hearings.
SA viewers largely clueless
On Wednesday, 22 August Kagiso Media, Ellipsis, DRM and the Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS), Primedia and Cape TV will do public presentations before Icasa on DTT.
On Thursday Avusa, Highway Africa, SKA and Banzi-Net will appear before Icasa to talk about DTT in South Africa.
South African viewers are largely clueless about the massive impending change which will require them to buy a STB costing about R700 with a new antenna which will also be required in the majority of cases.
Besides announcing that the South African Post Office will be used, the government has made no announcements on specifically how the subsidy scheme for only the poorest households will be working.
The government plans to subsidise the so-called “poorest of the poor” TV households only with a certain amount of money to buy a STB.
Cape Town – After saying that there will be no public hearings over the latest draft regulations for digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa, South Africa’s broadcasting regulator has now changed its mind and will have three days of public hearings next week.
After the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) told Channel24 that there won’t be any public hearings in an attempt to “speed up the process” of South Africa’s far-lagging migration process to DTT, Icasa will now have public hearings from Tuesday 21 August to Thursday 23 August.
A massive 17 respondents out of the 18 who’ve made written submissions have implored Icasa to have public hearings over the draft regulations.
The public hearings will consist of a big group of stakeholders, ranging from commercial and public broadcasters to community broadcasters and media groups all making oral representations before Icasa over the course of three days. Stakeholders and the public can attend.
Digital TV switch massively delayed
South Africa’s digital television switch-over is massively delayed despite the government and the department of communications constantly – since 2002 – saying that the process “is on track”.
As several countries in Africa – the latest was Namibia in July – keep passing South Africa with the switch-over from analogue to digital broadcasting, it appears that the latest date of October which was given by government at the beginning of the year for switch-on, will also not be met.
No set top boxes (STBs) necessary will be available by October and none will be able to be commercially sold since no tenders have yet been awarded.
It takes at least three months for a STB to be manufactured according to specifications and meanwhile the DTT regulations are still being debated as well.
The Right to Know Campaign, a public pressure group; as well as the SABC, e.tv, M-Net, TopTV and WowTV are set to give public oral feedback and make presentations before Icasa at the hearings.
SA viewers largely clueless
On Wednesday, 22 August Kagiso Media, Ellipsis, DRM and the Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS), Primedia and Cape TV will do public presentations before Icasa on DTT.
On Thursday Avusa, Highway Africa, SKA and Banzi-Net will appear before Icasa to talk about DTT in South Africa.
South African viewers are largely clueless about the massive impending change which will require them to buy a STB costing about R700 with a new antenna which will also be required in the majority of cases.
Besides announcing that the South African Post Office will be used, the government has made no announcements on specifically how the subsidy scheme for only the poorest households will be working.
The government plans to subsidise the so-called “poorest of the poor” TV households only with a certain amount of money to buy a STB.
