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It's such a pity that there hasn't been a strong and definite commitment to Community Digital Radio.
In many ways Community Radio stations are the best placed to make valuable and interesting use of digital as there are so many under represented voices who could be using that platform.
The government needs to make a firm commitment.
Digital Radio will be a massive part of the media landscape in the future, and without a commitment from the federal govt to continue funding Digital Community Radio at this stage, community radio won't be represented. Digital Radio for community stations is already proving popular, and it needs a chance to continue to grow.
I agree with JB_AU about digital radio as a perfect platform for marginalized voices. However, as a radio educator at a University, I know very few of my radio students own a digital radio. It's about a 2% adoption rate. Anecdotally, that seems commmon for the general public.
I disagree with Chris that digital radio will definitely be a part of our media future. Most of my students have bypassed digital radio as "old school" and use their smart phones for online radio/audio content.The sector might be better engaging with listeners on the smart phone & Web level.
Also, before community radio can argue for more money for digital radio, I think the sector might invest some energy in promoting the medium to it's current listeners. It certainly doesn't seem a hot topic on our local community stations.
I don't think you could overstate the importance of maintaining the community sector's access to digital radio - It's critical for the future of media diversity in Australia that community broadcasters are able to access the platform. This seems like a short-sighted and ill informed area to save a couple of dollars from Government and has the potential to have a major impact on the future of community radio.