Digital switch war back to court
What you need to know:
- The government plans to start the digital migration journey from the capital city in a week, by switching off analogue transmission.
- However, reacting to the new development, media owners chairman Sam Shollei said that the association would return to court to request to be given up to April 30.
- The MOA chief also criticised the manner in which the Set Top Boxes (STBs) were being distributed saying that the Pay TVs had dominated the market and used their massive income to lock out the Free to Air distributors by price wars.
Media owners will move to court to seek time to set up infrastructure before the switch over to digital television is made.
The regulator ruled out any extension before December 31 despite the Supreme Court directive that the two hold dialogue on the matter.
Speaking Monday during the launch of a consumer awareness campaign for the switch off, the Communications Authority of Kenya director-general Francis Wangusi said the government will not extend digital television broadcast switch off date despite requests by the media owners, saying there is no time left.
The government plans to start the digital migration journey from the capital city in a week, by switching off analogue transmission.
Other major towns will follow in February 2 as the rest of the country migrates by March 31 — three months ahead of the global June 2015 deadline.
“We have to migrate to digital broadcast signal. There will be various other digital platforms to air content and the television broadcasters who are not ready can use the available platforms,” Mr Wangusi said.
ADAMANT
However, reacting to the new development, media owners chairman Sam Shollei said that the association would return to court to request to be given up to April 30.
“We were given very clear guidelines by the Supreme Court on of November 26, and if the government remains adamant and switches off our viewers then we will head back to the court for interpretation. There is no hurry to switch off, yet the global deadline is June 2015,” Mr Shollei told the Nation.
The MOA chief also criticised the manner in which the Set Top Boxes (STBs) were being distributed saying that the Pay TVs had dominated the market and used their massive income to lock out the Free to Air distributors by price wars.
He said the allocation of over 60 per cent of channels meant for Free to Air to a Chinese Pay TV firm was the genesis of the switch-over wrangles.
During the launch, the CAK chief urged Nairobi residents to buy the digital boxes early to avoid last minute rush. He also urged caution while buying Set-Top Boxes (STBs) to avoid counterfeits.
His sentiments were echoed by ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i who warned vendors who sell fake STBs that they risked arrest and prosecution. He said the government will protect genuine dealers.
