BCI admits they haven't a scooby do

Sponge Bob

and neither of course do the DCMNR or Comreg but they will not admit it .

http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=Tribune/Business/Technology&id=74702&SUBCAT=Tribune/Business

Now the question is

'Can we build a Universal DTT in 5 Years' , no mention of switchoff at all.

THE Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has admitted that it is unclear whether Ireland will be able to introduce digital terrestrial television (DTT) in time to meet a European Union deadline of 2012.The BCI's director of broadcasting, Celene Craig, said that although it seemed possible to achieve the 2012 target, "it is obviously dependent on a number of factors including interest from operators, whether it is possible to build the infrastructure on time and potential legal challenges".
Craig admitted that the BCI would miss a statutory requirement introduced in April's Broadcasting Act to start licensing operators this October.

Thats more like a don't have a scooby do and don't care situation really.

However, she said it should be in a position to start the process early next year.
"The date in the act is not an absolute stipulation and you have to remember that a significant piece of policy development can usually take 12 to 15 months and, to start the process next year, we have compressed this into seven and a half months, " she said.

So I take it she means the broadcasting amendment act 2007 and this bit

The national television multiplex referred to in paragraph
(a) shall be established as a matter of priority

ahhh no not at all sez the BCI

and this bit

8.—(1) In order to secure the orderly establishment, maintenance
and operation of multiplexes and subject to subsection (2), the Commission
shall as soon as may be after this section has come into force
and may thereafter, from time to time having regard to the availability
of radio frequencies for multiplexes, invite applications for
multiplex contracts and, subject to the provisions of this Act, may
enter into such contracts.
(2) Without prejudice to subsection (1), the Commission shall
within six months after this section has come into force endeavour
to invite applications for multiplex contracts in respect of the three
national television multiplexes referred to in section 4(4).
(3) Where the Commission invites applications for a multiplex
contract it shall by public notice specify the coverage area (which
area may consist of the whole or any part of the State) in which the
programme material and related and other data shall be broadcast
pursuant to such contract (in this section referred to as “the
maximum coverage area”) and by such notice shall invite persons
interested in establishing and maintaining a multiplex to apply for
such contract.

The act came into force ( commencement) on the 18th of April so they should start the process then.

THATS WHAT THE LAW SAYS

But anyway, back to the trib.

ast month, the BCI announced that it was postponing the licensing process for three local radio stations to focus on DTT. Under the DTT process, the BCI will award licences to three digital operators, which will each provide four to eight channels to the state's DTT service.Under the DTT scheme, RTE will automatically receive enough spectrum to broadcast between four to eight digital TV channels. The station is already starting to plan for its DTT service.
According to Anne O'Connor, special advisor to RTE's director general, the state broadcaster believes that DTT will offer significant advantages to viewers over standard analogue broadcasts.
"In particular, we see a significant HD opportunity in Ireland. In the UK, they don't have enough DTT spectrum space to allocate HD channels whereas HD will be available from the start in Ireland, " she said.
O'Connor said that RTE also hoped to offer interactive services, video on demand and a listing guide as part of its DTT service. "We're also looking at improving accessibility by looking at offering audio description and possibly signing, which are possible on digital TV but not analogue."
The Department of Communications is currently operating a DTT trial in Dublin and Louth, which is due to end next year. Last week, Setanta Ireland and Setanta Golf were added to the selection 16 TV channels, 12 radio channels and one High Definition TV channel running in the pilot programme.
The Minister for Communications, Eamon Ryan, has said he wants significant progress towards introducing a national DTT service by the end of the trial.
"We don't want to put it off until 2012 because that would put Ireland at a significant disadvantage compared to our European neighbours in terms of telecommunications, " he said.
Tony Killeen, minister of state for Communications said last week that Ireland must complete the transmission from analogue to digital broadcasting before the EU's 2012 deadline.
"I expect the development of a national public service and commercial deployment of digital terrestrial TV services in mid 2008, " he said.

Now note the following .

RTE get one mux for RTE1 and 2 and TG4, they can do what they want with it thereafter.

BCI are supposed to bang out 3 commerical muxes. They will not do so in contravention of the law that sez they must start the process by 18 October.

Surely they can be sued if they do NOt start the process just like they think they can be sued if they DO start the process.

Its not that I am in a mad rush to see TV3 digital, in fact I'm not

It may be a technology argument , if RTE is HD from the start where they launch their mux then there is a compelling argument for 3 commercial HD muxes which can only carry 1/4 the channels of SD muxes.

Decisions and decisions.

Fingers out BCI please.

SPDUB

And here's the getout clause endeavour

Incidently I posted this in another thread about an hour before you

rlogue

DVB-T should be a good opportunity to replace MMDS with a more readily available way of picking up the UK channels. It also should resolve the appalling analogue coverage of TV3, providing the BCI have the balls to make sure that MMDS is switched off and TV3 is forced at last to provide nationwide coverage.

And there's the rub. do the BCI have the balls to do it?

Answers on the back of a brown paper bags stuffed with notes please.

Ulsterman 1690

Surely the BCI/COMREG have entered into contracts with Chorus/NTL and cant really switch off MMDS even if they want to

The best they could do is refuse to renew these contracts once they expire.

BTW IIRC its COMREG rather than the BCI who licence Cable/MMDS/Deflector stuff although it may have changed in the last few years so Im open to correction on that point ?

Sponge Bob

They expire in 2014 or so. If UPC made them an offer including tower use for DTT + handback of MMDS spectrum for mobile phone use and want all 3 muxes with a carry for TV3 and CH6 included ( not necessarily FTA ) I would discuss the outline with UPC before issuing calls or whatever stage one is .

If UPC, OTOH, want to keep MMDS till the bitter end then let them and simply punt out the 3 muxes to the highest bidder.

The concurrent issue of DVB-H muxes also clouds matters some .

Let the market decide I should think .

watty

They can offer the multiplexes till the cows come home, but unless the Goverment pays/subsidizes it, we are still in the same situation as 2001.


The market has decide for the last 8 years that the money is in cable and Satellite, not DTT.