Concern is mounting that SA might miss the deadline to have a fully functioning digital broadcasting system in time for the Soccer World Cup.

Crucial policies relating to the migration to digital broadcasting and the landing of undersea cables have raised the ire of members of Parliament’s communications portfolio committee.

Committee members said yesterday the communications department appeared to have not planned adequately for the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting, which is due to be phased in between November this year and November 2011.

The short period assigned for this migration in SA has raised eyebrows, as internationally the process has taken much longer than the three years envisaged here. The urgency for SA is that it has to have a digital broadcasting system in place for the 2010 World Cup.

Committee chairman Ismail Vavi said the committee was dissatisfied at what appeared to be inadequate planning, and had asked departmental officials to report back urgently on the policy framework, the implementation of strategy, and time frames.

The committee commanded the officials responsible for specific tasks to ensure the deadlines were met.

Committee members also questioned why policy guidelines relating to ministerial authorisation for undersea cables to land in SA were being published for comment only yesterday, instead of three weeks ago, as scheduled.

Committee members also criticised power given to Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri to authorise landing rights of the undersea cable and revoke them, as she would be both “referee and player”.

This was because the government was also involved in promoting the New Partnership for Africa’s Development initiative to install an undersea cable for Africa, and was spearheading the drive by state-owned enterprise Infraco to lay a cable along the west coast of Africa.

Dene Smuts of the Democratic Alliance complained that the department was “inventing a fantastic system of hurdles and requirements, and (giving the minister) the power to revoke the landing rights at a moment’s notice will just further act as a disincentive for investment”.

However, communications department senior manager of policy Mashila Matlala said the intention of the guidelines was to ensure Matsepe-Casaburri was kept informed on the shareholding and ownership structures of undersea cable companies, as this could have national security implications for SA.

(Source: Thetimes.co.za)