Thursday, Dec 02, 2010 at 00:19
I live in country WA merely 10km out of a smallish SW Township, but I can only receive
satellite TV here. So I've wondered a similar thing to yourself. Here is the reply I got...
Thank you for your enquiry to the Digital Switchover Taskforce. I apologise for the delay in replying.
The Australian Government is taking action to facilitate a smooth transition from an analog to a digital environment
well before switchover occurs in each switchover area.
Minister’s announcement on satellite television
services
On 5 January 2010, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, announced that the Australian Government will fund a new digital television satellite service for viewers who are unable to obtain adequate reception of their local digital television terrestrial
services.
The new Government-funded digital satellite service will carry the full suite of free-to-air television channels in all regions of Australia. This will for the first time mean that people in regional and remote Australia will have access to the same number of channels as is available in capital cities. This will include channels providing Seven, Nine and Ten
services, and the related commercial digital-only channels, such as 7TWO, GO! and ONE HD. Local regional commercial news bulletins will be available via a dedicated news channel. Further details about this news channel are being developed by broadcasters and will be announced in due course.
All state-based ABC and SBS
services, including ABC2 and ABC3, SBS TWO and the new ABC 24 hour news channel, when it launches, will also be carried on the satellite.
The Government is currently negotiating contracts with broadcasters to provide the
services. The
services will be available prior to switchover in your switchover area.
In order to access the new satellite service, these households will need to install satellite reception equipment, including a satellite dish and set-top box.
The Government will provide a satellite conversion subsidy to eligible households currently served by self-help sites that are not upgraded to digital by the broadcasters, to meet part of the cost of conversion.
Report on Digital Television and Transmission
The Report on Digital Television Transmission and Reception is tabled in Parliament and outlines the broadcasters’ progress in converting their transmission sites to digital as
well as detailing the analog self-help facilities that are operated by local councils and other authorities and not subject to the broadcasters’ implementation plans. The report includes information on:
· rectifying transmission
infrastructure issues that prevent digital television
services achieving the equivalent coverage and reception quality as analog
services
· local market areas and regions where transmission issues have been identified and how many households will be affected.
The most recent Report on Digital Television Transmission and Reception was published in February 2010. The report gives information on the progress by commercial and national broadcasters to meet their obligations to achieve the equivalent coverage and reception quality in digital as in analog. The report also identifies likely transmission black spots, typically those areas served by analog self-help retransmission facilities for which there are no conversion plans.
In announcing the new satellite service the Minister advised that an agreement had been reached with television broadcasters for them to upgrade a number of existing regional analog self-help retransmission facilities to operate in digital. The Government is currently consulting with broadcasters to identify the list of self-help facilities to be upgraded to digital which will be announced in the first half of 2010.
You can find the reports on Digital Television Transmission and Reception at the Digital Ready website. Simply go to www.digitalready.gov.au, then click on Publications.
I hope this information has been helpful.
Kind regards
Digital Switchover Taskforce
AnswerID:
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