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Рy02 October 2017
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The Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure (MEI) proposes to postpone the deadline for transition to digital terrestrial television in Moldova from December 31, 2017 to March 1, 2020. A draft law in this sense, prepared by the MEI, is at the stage of public consultations. The declared reasons for the postponement are the fact that regional broadcasters lack the necessary funds and the fact that the Government has not yet identified money in the budget to secure vulnerable families with set-top boxes. The undeclared reasons, according to some of our interlocutors, might be the nearing parliamentary elections, which will be held based on the mixed system, where candidates for seats in the Parliament will need local TV stations in order to promote their electoral programs in electoral districts.
The MEI lists the reasons for postponing the deadline for digital switchover
According to the explanatory note to the draft law produced by MEI, a certain number of regional broadcasters do not have the money to create regional multiplexes and to pay for the use of digital frequencies. Some broadcasters, despite having broadcasting licenses for the digital system, asked for extension of the term of broadcasting until November 20, 2017, hoping that they will by then find the money for the monthly fee of EUR 5,600 in Multiplex A.
“Thus, there is a risk that they will have to limit themselves to broadcasting on cable TV networks after the termination of analog terrestrial television on December 31, 2017, depriving the entire audience of TV programs that were previously received in analog format. As a result, the pluralism and diversity of domestic broadcasting will be diminished, and the population will be deprived of a variety of sources of information,” the MEI claims.
Another argument brought by the authors of the draft law is that the Government has not yet identified money in the state budget for the year 2017 in order to provide disadvantaged families with special digital signal conversion devices for old-generation TV sets, which cannot receive such a signal.
Regional broadcasters welcome postponement
Ludmila Topal, executive director of the TV station Canal Regional, told us that the station had already obtained the digital broadcasting license, but that it is one of the broadcasters that asked for extending the start date because of lack of money. “If we sign this contract with Radiocomunicații [state-owned national broadcasting operator], it would mean signing our own death warrant,” she said. According to her, the station has no guarantee that it will be able to pay the EUR 5,600 fee, because it has no secure income. That is why postponing digital switchover will allow it to accumulate these funds for the future. The director of Media TV Cimislia Andrei Bargan is of the same opinion, believing that regional televisions need a respite.
The two media managers do not exclude, however, that the intention to postpone transition to the digital system could be linked to the next parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2018. As we know, these elections will be based on the so-called mixed electoral system, and 51 MPs will be elected in electoral districts. They will need local televisions in order to make their electoral programs public.
Media experts point to the lack of a national strategy
Alexandru Dorogan, a member of the Electronic Press Association (APEL), expressed his puzzlement with the fact that until recently authorities declared they could no longer postpone transition to the digital system, and now they say that such a possibility exists, “moreover, for two years, when the neighboring countries have completed this process or are about to.” The expert does not exclude that the MEI initiative could have been prepared for political reasons before the upcoming election year. “They realize and are aware that after the implementation of digital television local studios will disappear, and so for political reasons we keep delaying, putting off, letting analog television exist so we can get a result in elections,” commented Alexandru Dorogan.
According to the expert, digital switchover should have been designed in such a way as not to threaten with the disappearance of local televisions, and the fact that authorities have again postponed the digital switchover deadline indicates there is no clear state strategy in the broadcasting field. “If we decided to move to the digital system, we should have thought about all the problems that would arise. If you have such a strategy, you can go ahead; if you don’t have it, you get what we have now,” said Alexandru Dorogan for Media Azi.
BCC representative supports the current deadline
Victor Pulbere, head of the Control and Digitization Division of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC), says Moldova might be pressed to shut down analog broadcasting in case it disrupts the work of the broadcasting systems in neighboring countries.
“If the continuation of analog activity gets to disturb the digital stations in Ukraine and Romania, we will stop such broadcasting, whether we want it or not, because no one will allow disruption of neighbors’ activity,” Pulbere explained.
The head of the BCC’s Control and Digitization Division believes that the current deadline for completing digital switchover – December 31, 2017 – should be complied with. “It will be difficult at first, especially since we have not fulfilled the part of securing the population with set-top boxes. However, very many people already have TV sets that receive the digital signal, and the number of stations in the digital multiplex is limited,” Pulbere said.
It should be noted that the Regional Agreement on Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting Service, signed by Moldova at the Geneva Conference of 2006, was ratified by the Parliament in March 2008. Then our country assumed this responsibility along with other 103 countries. Initially, transition from analog to digital television was due to end on June 17, 2015. Subsequently, this deadline was extended until December 31, 2017.
The MEI lists the reasons for postponing the deadline for digital switchover
According to the explanatory note to the draft law produced by MEI, a certain number of regional broadcasters do not have the money to create regional multiplexes and to pay for the use of digital frequencies. Some broadcasters, despite having broadcasting licenses for the digital system, asked for extension of the term of broadcasting until November 20, 2017, hoping that they will by then find the money for the monthly fee of EUR 5,600 in Multiplex A.
“Thus, there is a risk that they will have to limit themselves to broadcasting on cable TV networks after the termination of analog terrestrial television on December 31, 2017, depriving the entire audience of TV programs that were previously received in analog format. As a result, the pluralism and diversity of domestic broadcasting will be diminished, and the population will be deprived of a variety of sources of information,” the MEI claims.
Another argument brought by the authors of the draft law is that the Government has not yet identified money in the state budget for the year 2017 in order to provide disadvantaged families with special digital signal conversion devices for old-generation TV sets, which cannot receive such a signal.
Regional broadcasters welcome postponement
Ludmila Topal, executive director of the TV station Canal Regional, told us that the station had already obtained the digital broadcasting license, but that it is one of the broadcasters that asked for extending the start date because of lack of money. “If we sign this contract with Radiocomunicații [state-owned national broadcasting operator], it would mean signing our own death warrant,” she said. According to her, the station has no guarantee that it will be able to pay the EUR 5,600 fee, because it has no secure income. That is why postponing digital switchover will allow it to accumulate these funds for the future. The director of Media TV Cimislia Andrei Bargan is of the same opinion, believing that regional televisions need a respite.
The two media managers do not exclude, however, that the intention to postpone transition to the digital system could be linked to the next parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2018. As we know, these elections will be based on the so-called mixed electoral system, and 51 MPs will be elected in electoral districts. They will need local televisions in order to make their electoral programs public.
Media experts point to the lack of a national strategy
Alexandru Dorogan, a member of the Electronic Press Association (APEL), expressed his puzzlement with the fact that until recently authorities declared they could no longer postpone transition to the digital system, and now they say that such a possibility exists, “moreover, for two years, when the neighboring countries have completed this process or are about to.” The expert does not exclude that the MEI initiative could have been prepared for political reasons before the upcoming election year. “They realize and are aware that after the implementation of digital television local studios will disappear, and so for political reasons we keep delaying, putting off, letting analog television exist so we can get a result in elections,” commented Alexandru Dorogan.
According to the expert, digital switchover should have been designed in such a way as not to threaten with the disappearance of local televisions, and the fact that authorities have again postponed the digital switchover deadline indicates there is no clear state strategy in the broadcasting field. “If we decided to move to the digital system, we should have thought about all the problems that would arise. If you have such a strategy, you can go ahead; if you don’t have it, you get what we have now,” said Alexandru Dorogan for Media Azi.
BCC representative supports the current deadline
Victor Pulbere, head of the Control and Digitization Division of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC), says Moldova might be pressed to shut down analog broadcasting in case it disrupts the work of the broadcasting systems in neighboring countries.
“If the continuation of analog activity gets to disturb the digital stations in Ukraine and Romania, we will stop such broadcasting, whether we want it or not, because no one will allow disruption of neighbors’ activity,” Pulbere explained.
The head of the BCC’s Control and Digitization Division believes that the current deadline for completing digital switchover – December 31, 2017 – should be complied with. “It will be difficult at first, especially since we have not fulfilled the part of securing the population with set-top boxes. However, very many people already have TV sets that receive the digital signal, and the number of stations in the digital multiplex is limited,” Pulbere said.
It should be noted that the Regional Agreement on Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting Service, signed by Moldova at the Geneva Conference of 2006, was ratified by the Parliament in March 2008. Then our country assumed this responsibility along with other 103 countries. Initially, transition from analog to digital television was due to end on June 17, 2015. Subsequently, this deadline was extended until December 31, 2017.
