Regional commercial radio broadcasters from around Australia met in Sydney on Wednesday to discuss the planning, timing and funding of the digital radio rollout in regional Australia. They want DAB+ to be the consistent transmission technology around the country and are urging there be no new analog licences issued at this time.
The broadcasters unanimously agreed on five areas they see as key to the success of digital radio in regional areas:
1) regional broadcasters, as a basic entitlement, to receive the same spectrum access and minimum non-compete period as the metropolitan broadcasters;
2) discussions to commence in 2011 with the Federal Government on funding for regional digital radio rollout;
3) the technology to form the backbone of regional digital rollout to be DAB+ in all towns and regional and population centres across Australia;
4) as detailed planning for the digital future is now underway, the Federal Government should place a moratorium on the issue of any new analogue radio licences, at least until planning is completed;
5) detailed digital radio channel planning for regional Australia to be conducted in parallel with the analogue television switch off so that certainty can be provided to regional listeners and broadcasters as soon as possible.
“In relation to funding, regional commercial radio broadcasters will be seeking discussions with the Federal Government in 2011 re financial support for the regional digital radio rollout,” said CRA’s Joan Warner after the meeting.
“Commercial regional television operators have enjoyed significant financial levels of support from previous and current Federal Governments for the costs of rollout of digital television; and regional commercial radio broadcasters look forward to receiving a Government commitment of support for regional radio and its millions of listeners.”
Regional operators attending today’s meeting included ACE Radio, Grant Broadcasting, Resonate Broadcasting, Bathurst Broadcasters, Hot Tomato, Southern Cross Media, Capital Radio, Prime Radio, 2SM/Super Radio Network, Red FM, Radio Outback, West Coast Radio, Win Radio North East Broadcasters, Rich Rivers Radio and Radio Outback
Warner also confirmed the industry would be making a submission to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy’s Technologies for digital radio services in regional Australia discussion paper.
The industry will make a formal submission to the discussion paper reaffirming the commercial radio industry’s often stated position that DAB+ in Band III VHF is the industry’s preferred technology for regional Australia, with technology for wide area coverage specifically in remote regional areas being considered at a later date once the planning for the DAB+ rollout is complete.
Senator Conroy announced at the National Radio Conference in October 2010 in Melbourne, that the Government has identified that 14 megahertz of spectrum in the VHF Band III will be made available to facilitate the rollout of digital radio to rural and regional Australia.
“The industry looks forward to working with the Minister, regulator (ACMA), and the department (DBCDE) to enable all Australians to experience the benefits of DAB+ digital radio. Detailed planning and timing of the regional rollout of digital radio will also give retailers and the automotive industry surety in the future of DAB+ in regional Australia,” said Warner.
I don't fully agree with the CRA blueprint for rolling out DAB+ radio in regional areas. I submit that there is scope for deploying DRM digital radio technology, so that AM frequencies can also migrate successfuly to a digital platform. I concede that there may be a case for favouring a consistent digital codec across the nation, and perhaps DAB+ should be the standard digital radio format. But the problem I see is that some existing operators, primarily narrowcasters, both FM and even moreso AM licence holders, are going to be excluded from the digital future.
Since analogue radio is not likely to be switched off anytime in the coming decade, it makes sense that ACMA be permitted to release more analogue frequencies where they are available. And in regional areas, theire probably are not that many more planned frequencies that can be allocated, either as commercial, community or High-power Open Narrowcast services. Rather than having a moratorium, releasing all these potential frequencies soon, mostly as narrowcast licences, would consolidate the analogue landscape and from that point, the digital future can be properly discussed and planned.
Linking this planning process to the timetable for switching of analogue TV is a good idea, but a moratorium on new analogue services in regional areas is not necessary. As Channel 3 and 5 TV stations switch to DVB digital, parts of FM spectrum can be reassigned to provide radio services in areas where there is demand for new stations, especially narrowcast services. Certainly, the government can allow new LPON applications in areas where these are now excluded because of Channel 3 TV. This is a responsible use of spectrum in response to the digital dividend.