Restack Status Report 16 October 2012 Digital Switchover Taskforce Housing and Property Working Group Tara Morice Manager, Restack Policy

Digital Dividend The Government has announced the digital dividend auction will take place in April 2013 and involve spectrum in the 700 MHz and 2.5 GHz bands. The 700 MHz band spectrum is currently used for the transmission of analog and digital television services on channels 52 to 69. All television services need to clear this spectrum by the end of 2014 to enable new wireless broadband services to commence in digital television services, including some using channels below channel 52, will need to be restacked or change their channel. Today’s presentation will address the clearance process and progress to date.

Channel Planning The ACMA determines the ‘final’ channels some digital services will need to move to, as well as the timing window for each channel change to be completed. This information will be contained in 19 Television Licence Area Plans (TLAPs). In general, one of 5 blocks of 6 channels will be assigned to each site or area: –Block A (VHF Channels 6-8 and 10-12) –Block B (UHF Channels 28-33) –Block C (UHF Channels 34-39) –Block D (UHF Channels 40-45) –Block E (UHF Channels 46 to 51) The 6 th channel in each block will be unassigned. The ACMA is generally selecting a block for a particular area that contains the same or similar channels to those previously used in that area.

Channel Planning The ACMA aims to finalise all metropolitan and regional TLAPs in 2012 and remote TLAPs in Q Draft and final TLAPs available from its website. The ACMA finalised TLAPs for: –Spencer Gulf, Riverland, Mount Gambier/South East and Broken Hill on 15 December 2011 –Griffith and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) on 30 April draft TLAPs have been released for comment since 21 September 2012: –Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney (comments close 22 October) –Regional Victoria and Mildura/Sunraysia (comments close 31 October) –Regional QLD (comments close 1 November) –Southern NSW and Tasmania (comments close 6 November) –Northern NSW (comments close 7 November) An Indicative Restack Channel Chart is also available from the ACMA website.

Funding and Program Manager The Government has committed $143.2 million over five years from to ensure the 700 MHz band spectrum is released in a timely fashion with minimal disruption to viewers. These funds are to be used: –for project management –to assist commercial and national broadcasters restack their services –for public education. On 12 October 2012, the Department appointed Broadcast Australia (BA) as the restack manager. It is responsible for: –nationwide planning and coordination of restack implementation in accordance with TLAPs –ensuring the restack of commercial broadcasting services is undertaken by the site owner or a 3 rd party appointed by BA (the ABC and SBS will separately contract for their restack works). The provision of funding to broadcasters will be linked to TLAP compliance.

Indicative Timetable Anticipated that more than 1330 services at 410 sites will need to undertake a channel change as a result of the restack. BA had previously been appointed to produce a nationwide restack timetable in consultation with broadcasters and the ACMA. The timetable will be produced in two stages in the second half of 2012: –Stage 1: identified broad multi-month timing windows when all affected services in a particular licence area will restack (published September 2012 on DBCDE restack webpage – dbcde.gov.au/restack); and –Stage 2: identification of indicative dates on which all affected services at a particular site will restack (November 2012). Stage 1 suggests restack work will commence in Q in 6 TLAP areas: –Regional QLD, Regional VIC, Northern NSW, Southern NSW, Mildura/Sunraysia and Adelaide; –some of this work will be done in advance of the day on which services actually change channel.

Timetable Services will generally be restacked in an area after it has switched to digital- only television –Final TLAPs for regional SA and Broken Hill require some channel changes by 14 December 2012 –Final TLAP for Griffith/MIA requires some channel changes to take place by 28 June 2013 In areas where digital rollout is not yet complete, such as regional Tasmania and Western Australia, some new digital services are commencing on their final channels to avoid the need for them to restack in the future. In some of these areas, existing digital services are changing channels to enable new digital services to commence on their final channels. Viewers will need to retune their digital receivers (televisions or set-top boxes) to maintain their access to any services that have undergone a channel change. This cannot be done in advance of the restack day.

Metropolitan Areas The restack will take place in metropolitan areas (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney) after they switch to digital-only television –Adelaide will switchover on 2 April 2013 and Perth will switchover on 16 April 2013 –Brisbane will switchover on 28 May 2013 –Sydney will switchover on 3 December 2013 and Melbourne will switchover on 10 December 2013 The draft TLAPs provide that metropolitan main sites will be assigned Block A (VHF Channels 6-8 and 10-12), with VHF Channel 10 the unassigned channel –The ABC and three commercial digital services will each retain their existing channels –SBS will move from a UHF Channel (28, 29, 33 or 34) to VHF Channel 7 at each main site Community television services transmitted from the metropolitan main sites retain their existing channel in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, but need to move in Adelaide (UHF Channel 30 to 33) and Brisbane (UHF Chanel 38 to 28). –

Metropolitan Areas In addition to the main site, each metropolitan area is served by a number of other sites that in-fill or enhance the coverage afforded by the main site. The draft metropolitan TLAPs propose channel changes to some services transmitted from these sites. For example: –Block B (UHF Channels 28 to 33) has been assigned for Kings Cross and Manly/Mosman, which means 3 existing services (SBS and Networks 7 and 9) need to change channels at both sites –Block D (UHF Channels 40 to 45) has been assigned for Ferntree Gully, which means that 3 existing services (ABC, SBS and Network 10) need to change channels –Block E (UHF Channels 46 to 51) has been assigned for Toodyay, which means all existing services need to channel change –Block C (UHF Channels 34 to 39) has been assigned for Adelaide Foothills, which means all existing services need to channel change –Blocks C and D have been assigned for Currumbin and the Gold Coast respectively, which means all existing services need to channel change at both sites

MDUs The restack is not generally expected to result in viewers needing to replace or modify their existing antennas. MATV systems are frequency dependent. The part of the system that is mainly frequency dependent is known as the ‘head-end’ and the type installed will determine whether retuning or replacement will be required at restack. MDUs should seek advice from their MATV system installer/maintainer as to whether it will need any modifications to receive digital services on their current or final channels. If changes are required for the switch to digital-only television, ideally equipment should not be installed that it is not capable (with or without some retuning) of receiving digital services on their final channels. We are preparing a strategy so that viewers in MDUs face minimal disruption.

Communications We recognise restack processes are of interest to a wide range of stakeholders. Both the ACMA and department will make the latest information available from our websites. Site specific information will also be available from the MySwitch website and The department is currently developing our restack related public education and stakeholder engagement strategies. Our public education will build on switchover message, brand and infrastructure (call centre, mySwitch, website). Our public education and stakeholder engagement strategies will be informed by our experiences with digital switchover, in particular with sites that hot-swapped to digital-only television in advance of the rest of their licence area.