The legislation heralding the introduction of digital television was passed in 1998, but the ABA (now ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority) had started its work long before: it convened the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Specialist Group. which started work in 1993. The Group delivered reports in July 1995 and January 1997. The ABA also participated in the DTTB Selection Panel, which announced its decision to recommend the DVB-T system for use in terrestrial over-the-air broadcasting in Australia, in June 1998. The digital conversion legislation required the ABA to develop conversion schemes to implement the policy principles embodied in the legislation. The schemes in turn gave the ABA power to develop digital channel plans (DCPs) which specify the technical details broadcasters use to build their digital transmission facilities. Public consultation is an essential component of the development of each DCP. In the lead up to the preparation of the first DCPs a group known as the Digital Television Channel Planning Consultative Group (DTCPCG) formulated key planning assumptions, including the best way to plan digital services so that they duplicate analog television coverage.

The development of DCPs was a massive task for the ABA’s Planning Branch particularly in the early years. Channels have now been planned for all the high power transmission sites and most key repeater sites. There remains an ongoing program of work to develop DCPs in concert with the broadcasters’ roll-out programs. By end of June 2005 channels will have been planned for more than 230 sites with just over 80 sites in regional licence areas remaining to be planned, a task expected to take another 18 months. Planning has also been undertaken for major transmission sites in the remote licence areas, but any requirement for further planning of remote areas will be informed by decisions on the form of digital conversion in remote licence areas.

The ABA’s role in regulation of digital television doesn’t stop with DCPs. It has assessed many hundreds of digital implementation plans submitted by broadcasters and also monitors compliance with the minimum quotas for the broadcast of high definition television.

The earliest models for community television were developed in the early 1970s with the establishment of video access production centres by the Australia Council.

The first test transmission of “community television” (as we know it today) was conducted in 1987 by RMITV [Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Television], a founding member of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium, which operated C31 Melbourne. Subsequently, a range of local production groups undertook test broadcasts throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.

After a decade of community television trials, lobbying and various inquiries, the former Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) allocated permanent CTV licences for the Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane licence areas between December 2003 and July 2004. Since that time, the focus has turned to guranteeing a digital future for the sector.

The Government’s commitment to digital broadcasting of CTV was announced in 1998. It was reaffirmed by successive Ministers and yet the lack of a firm commitment remains. As recently as November last year, the Digital Action Plan that outlines the path to digital switchover but provides no guarantees for CTV.

Community television currently only broadcasts in analogue and so cannot be seen by those 20% of Australians who have purchased digital receivers. The logical conclusion of this scenario is that by the time 90% of Australians have bought digital receivers, and analogue is switched off, no-one will be watching community television.