The changeover to digital television has met with mixed reactions from rural, regional and remote councils.
From 30 June 2010, Australia had begun switching off the analogue TV signal, making way for digital transmissions.
Starting in Mildura, Victoria, the switchover has taken place progressively on a region by region basis and will continue until 31 December 2013.
This will deliver more choice and content, as well as better picture and sound quality, while also freeing up spectrum for the delivery of new and improved broadcasting and communications services, such as high speed broadband.
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy says the switchover will bring remote communities in line with the rest of Australia, enabling them to access all free to air digital television services, including the original three commercial and two national channels, as well as new digital services such as ABC2, ABC3, SBS TWO, GO!, 7TWO and ONE HD.
Despite the positives, the rollout in Queensland has met with an uneven response.
Television viewers in parts of the Ipswich region may be unable to watch TV after the switchover to digital broadcasting.
Somerset Council’s television re-transmitters at Somerset Dam and Toogoolawah will cease to function after June 2013 according to the analogue TV switch off announcement by the Federal Government.
At present, broadcasters have indicated the Somerset Dam tower will not be converted to digital and residents will need to access free-to-air digital television via satellite.
At this stage there are no plans to convert the Toogoolawah tower, but it is expected the area will instead be covered by a new gap filler tower nearby.
A Federal Government subsidy towards the installation of a digital satellite service is available but at present viewers in these areas do not have to do anything.
At least six months before the switchover date households that will not be able to receive a digital terrestrial signal will be sent letters inviting them to apply for the satellite subsidy and informed of the final date to apply.
The changeover has been criticised in other parts of Queensland with Carpentaria Shire Mayor Fred Pascoe responding angrily to a letter sent to all Shire residents by Senator Stephen Conroy regarding the switch over from analogue to digital TV services.
According to Mayor Pascoe, Senator Conroy stated that Council will have to undertake the upgrade of the towers at its own cost “which we expect will ultimately be passed on to householders and ratepayers.”
The letter also stated that residents will have to purchase their own set top box or new digital television which “may also involve upgrades to the antenna. In addition ratepayers will bear the ongoing costs of operation and maintenance of the transmission facility.”
“In his letter Senator Conroy claims to have been in regular contact with Carpentaria Shire Council about the upgrade of its retransmission towers, which is a blatant untruth.”
“We have been told that analogue services will be switched off in 2013 and that the Government will not be providing the funding for us to upgrade our retransmission towers; and despite our requests for additional information, that is all we have been told.”
“We repeatedly tried to get the answers we needed to make an informed decision and we have been repeatedly ignored,” he said.
Analogue will be turned off in the Carpentaria Shire in the second half of 2013, however the Government compelled Council to make a decision about its self-help retransmission towers in June this year.
According to Mayor Pascoe, Council elected to take the route that it believes will have the lesser financial impact on householders.
He criticised the amount of information and the level of consultation from Senator Conroy.
The Federal Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Minister Stephen Conroy, dismissed the idea that the people of Carpentaria have not been consulted over the switchover to digital TV.
“In a letter dated 19 August, 2011, Mayor of Carpentaria, Cr Fred Pascoe, claimed there had been a lack of consultation by the Government in relation to the switch from analog to digital TV and that ‘answers they had continued to seek to questions about the switchover had been ignored by the Minister and his Department’,” Senator Conroy said.
“I can confirm the Federal Government has undertaken extensive consultation with the Carpentaria Shire Council, the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and the Remote Area Planning And Development (RAPAD) board.”
“There have been at least 16 separate communications initiated by either myself or the Digital Switchover Taskforce; the area of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy responsible for coordinating and overseeing Australia’s transition to digital from analog television.
“This consultation has included formal responses to representations, meetings, teleconferences, emails and hearings of the Senate Committee on Environment and Communications in Brisbane in March this year which dealt substantially with the issue of upgrading self-help towers.”
“Consultation has been undertaken since March 2010 and has included six communications initiated directly from my Office.”
“Not only has consultation occurred on a regular basis since 2010 and as recently as 21 August with the LGAQ and Council to provide updates and information about the digital switchover, but I also consulted with Carpentaria households directly on 1 August 2011.”
Senator Conroy said the Federal Government was committed to the switchover and had extensively communicated the terms and conditions of the switchover to councils across Australia and the cost implications for ratepayers and councils if Councils chose to upgrade their local facilities.
“It is disappointing the Carpentaria Shire Council has chosen not to take responsibility for its own decision and attempted to blame the Federal Government.”
Outside regional areas, the switchover is progessing well.
The Federal Government Digital Switchover Taskforce point to the success of the changeover with more than eight in 10 Australian households, or 82 per cent having made the move.
In Sydney, digital conversion has jumped five percentage points to 78 per cent in this quarter, while remote Western Australia rose nine percentage points to 67 per cent.
Digital conversion in both Melbourne and Brisbane increased two percentage points to 81 per cent, while Adelaide was up three percentage points to 85 per cent.
