Sentech is delighted to announce the revised signal distribution costs for community broadcasters which came into effect from 1 April 2012.
As announced by ICASA on 16 April 2012, Sentech has decreased the signal distribution costs for CommunityTV and FM Broadcasting. The average decrease in signal distribution costs facing the community broadcasters is 33% for Community TV services and 65% for Community FM services.
As a state owned entity, Sentech has a mandate to facilitate universal access to broadcasting services and to provide broadcasting services to South African broadcasters. With the transition to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), Sentech has recognised that it is an opportune time to review its signal distribution tariffs.
According to Sentech CEO Dr Setumo Mohapi, “Sentech is a common carrier in terms of the Electronic Communications Act. This common carrier status for us is a simple set of obligations; not a privilege nor a right. In this regard we are responding to our public service mandate particularly in respect of our common carrier status around the pursuit of media diversity as envisaged in the various founding documents such as the IBA Triple Inquiry Report of 1995 and the White paper of broadcasting of 1998.”
The focus of the review is to update the way in which we construct our tariffs to align it with the new digital environment in which we currently operate. This will apply to both existing tariffs for Analogue and new tariffs that will come into effect for DTT” concludes Dr Mohapi.
Community broadcasting promotes fundamental rights in society such as universal access to communication services, the right to freedom of expression and the equitable representation of diversity in society. Both policy and legislation have recognised the importance of creating an enabling environment to facilitate the development of the community broadcasting sector. It is within this context that Sentech has revised its Signal Distribution tariffs across the three categories of broadcasting licensees with the first phase of the review focusing on community broadcasting tariffs.
In responding to the review process, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, Honourable Sikhumbuzo Eric Kholwane commented, “President Zuma has called upon all of us to write a new South African story "the story of how working together, we drove back unemployment and reduced economic inequality and poverty". Most of the community broadcasters, in particular radio, are in rural areas. As such Icommend the good work being done by Sentech as this process is in effect reducing the cost of doing business in our rural communities.Thecost reduction for community broadcasting services illustrates what we can achieve by working together. My appreciation and credit goes to MDDA who continued to flag the matter with the Committee; ICASA and Sentech for acting with a sense of urgency in dealing with this matter.”
To ensure alignment with all legislative requirements, Sentech engaged ICASA on the principles for the tariff revision and notified the Regulator of its tariffs for the financial year 2012/13 in line with the Amendment of the Standard Terms and Conditions for Individual and Class Licences, as well as amendments to the Process and Procedures Regulations for Individual and Class Licences Government Gazette 33295 Notice R.524 as published on 12 June 2010.
The tariffs recognise the relative contribution of the different categories of broadcasting licensees to the operational and infrastructure cost base of Sentech but does not discriminate or provide preferential tariffs to any category or customer. Furthermore, the tariffs take into account that most Community Broadcasters largely use a single service site for broadcasting
The Media Development and Diversity Agency has welcomed the tariff review – “This is a great effort towards the creation of an enabling environment for media diversity. It is in line with the regulatory approach taken since 1994 by the IBA, wherein through some differentiation and noting the developmental nature, community broadcasting is required to pay less application fees, no license fees and hopefully in the future not required to contribute the universal service and access fee. Through promises of performance, broadcast service licensees also promise additional contributions by way of training of community broadcasters, etc. and this becomes license conditions. All these are ways of ensuring SA has a successful three tier system of broadcasting, thereby diversifying content in the airwaves. MDDA support Sentech's contribution to this noble national agenda” says MDDA CEO, Mr Lumko Mtimde.
Sentech is in the process of finalising the review of its tariffs for other categories of Broadcasting Services.
Enquiries:
Nthabeleng Mokitimi
Tel: 011 691 7156
Cell: 082 440 5576
E-mail: mokitimin@sentech.co.za
Sentech reduces signal distribution tariffs for the community broadcasters
