After the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) told TV with Thinus 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 over three days after a massive 17 respondents out of the 18 who've made written submissions have asked Icasa for public hearings.
Icasa will now have public hearings from Tuesday 21 August until Thursday 23 August with 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 next week. Stakeholders and the public can attend.
South Africa's digital television switch-over is massively delayed despite the government and the department of communications constantly - since 2002 - saying the process "is on track". As 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 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 3 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 next Tuesday, 21 August.
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 23 August 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 will be working under which 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.
