Parliament's communications committee chairperson is concerned about the “exorbitant cost” to maintain the analogue network in SA’s stalled digital migration.
This, as the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria last week suspended the 31 March analogue switch-off (ASO) deadline announced by communications minister Solly Malatsi in December.
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), together with its entity Sentech, is the project lead for the broadcasting digital migration (BDM) programme.
However, the department faced several battles over the years as it tried to move the needle forward in the years-long delayed BDM process.
The latest legal tussle ordered the postponement of the deadline and interdicted the minister and Sentech from taking any steps to implement the switch-off of analogue signals and ending dual-illumination.
In a statement, chairperson Khusela Sangoni-Diko says the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies has noted the judgement delivered by the High Court, Gauteng Division.
The committee appreciates the complexity and multifaceted nature of the BDM policy, which involves multiple stakeholders, budget allocations and implementation challenges, she notes.
However, it is further concerned about the cost of dual-illumination to signal distributor Sentech, she adds. The department previously revealed funding for dual-illumination has cost over R1.2 billion since 2014.
Sangoni-Diko advises that an amplified stakeholder engagement practice that fosters consensus and collaboration needs to take precedence.
She also urges government to have tactical agility and the minister to urgently present measures to achieve an all-inclusive digital switch-over date, taking into consideration the court ruling.
“The committee remains committed to the digital switch-over and will ensure stringent oversight over the government in its delivery,” she says. “An expedited digital switch-over will ensure the much-needed spectrum is freed and allocated to critical services. This will ensure the digital dividend contributes to an inclusive digital economy.”
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies is the legislative's oversight body for the DCDT.
The latest court setback comes against the backdrop of several other court judgments against the minister related to the ASO date, comments Sangoni-Diko.
“While the committee notes the importance of the digital switch-over to ensure South Africa is on par with global trends in adopting digital technologies, it is more important that the constitutional obligations and court rulings are upheld in the interest of inclusivity.
“The majority of households in South Africa are dependent on free-to-air broadcasting services and should not be left behind after the digital switch-over. More importantly, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), as the state organ mandated to provide universal access to public broadcasting services, must be protected to ensure public broadcasting is not compromised.
“Implementing the ASO in the current conditions would serve only to exacerbate the existing crisis at the SABC, as it is estimated that the public broadcaster would lose not only approximately 30% of its audience but also attendant revenue.”
Malatsi says he is studying the ASO judgement and further communication on the matter will be issued once consultations have concluded, including those with Cabinet.
The BDM programme has long bedevilled the South African government. After missing the International Telecommunication Union-mandated June 2015 deadline, the communications ministry made numerous attempts to conclude the country’s migration.
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