Cabinet has rejected the idea of a mandatory control system for digital terrestrial television in South Africa. Set-top boxes that will be subsidised by government for poorer households will, however, have a control system.
“Cabinet decided that the use of a control system should not be mandatory,” cabinet said in a statement following its meeting on Wednesday.
This is to “protect government’s investment in the subsidised set-top box market and the local electronics industry and, with rapid technological changes, for future use by broadcasters who might not want to use it now”.
The statement said that in order to avoid pay-television broadcasters from “unfairly benefiting from the set-top box control system, government’s investment in the set-top box control system will be recovered from those subscription broadcasters that choose to make use of the control system”.
“Cabinet urges all parties to move on from their previous differences and work together with the government in rolling out digital migration as soon as possible in the country’s interests.”
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