Department of Communications
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published draft regulations on digital terrestrial television (DTT) for comment.
They can be found in notice 680 of Government Gazette 34642 dated 28 September 2011.
Notice 680 includes an explanatory memorandum on ICASA’s decision to repeal the existing digital migration regulations rather than amend them.
According to an introduction to the memorandum, this decision was based on the following, that:
• the DVB-T2 standard would “double the capacity available on multiplexes”, with implications for its allocation;
• the complexity of the processes entailed could necessitate a change in the deadline set for analogue switch-off (December 2013);
• should the deadline be changed, it would be “prudent” to keep some capacity in reserve for future use;
• the existing regulations did not provide for additional and/or community television stations to be accommodated on the DTT multiplexes before analogue switch-off; and that
• the channel authorisation process needed to be adjusted and streamlined in order to allow television channels to be authorised before digital switch-on.
The introduction also provides insight into how the proposed new DTT regulations differ from the digital migration regulations currently in place.
The deadline for comment on the proposed new regulations is 10 November 2011.
Sabinet Cape Town Office
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