[CMA TV] A once in a generation opportunity!

[Alan Fransman]

Ofcom’s Digital Dividend Review Consultation

“This is a once in a generation opportunity!”

This quote from Don Redding’s speech at the Public Voice Conference is
probably the best articulation of the urgency and importance of 
responding to Ofcom’s Digital Dividend Review consultation.

The Conference on 5th February raised important issues about whether the
radio spectrum is a commodity or a public asset.

The digital dividend is one of the largest releases of valuable spectrum
in the UK for many years.  Ofcom estimates that the benefit to the 
economy from the use of this spectrum (as opposed to revenues raised for 
the Government from the auction of the spectrum) is likely to be
around £5bn-10bn in total over 20 years.  Ofcom proposes to release the
spectrum on a technology and service neutral basis. Under this proposal,
licences would also be tradeable and ‘liberalised’ to allow users the
flexibility to decide what technology to use, what services to offer, 
and to change their use of the spectrum over time.

There is good and bad news for Community TV.  Whilst the consultation 
document suggests that local TV is a plausible use of the digital 
dividend with potentially high value to society, Ofcom does not believe 
that spectrum should be reserved exclusively for local television.

This suggestion is linked to Ofcom's proposal to offer frequencies in
'packages' that are suitable for as many uses as possible, including
national digital terrestrial television and mobile services.

Ofcom proposes to award the spectrum by auction.

These very worrying proposals will require a robust response, not only
from the Community Media sector but also from civil society.  For this
reason the CMA is working with Public Voice - the leading voluntary 
sector coalition campaigning for citizens' interests in communications - 
to encourage civil society groups to participate in the consultation,
explaining what is at stake, where to find out more and how to respond 
to Ofcom's consultation.

For further information, visit the CMA website for a briefing on the
Digital Dividend Review compiled especially for CMA members:
http://www.commedia.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/public-consultations/ddr-consultation/
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Alan Fransman
Community Media Association
15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield
S1 2BX

+44 114 279 5219

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