Germany

[FR] Michel Boyon Submits his Report on Digital Terrestrial Television

IRIS 2002-10:1/15

Mathilde de Rocquigny

Légipresse

On 17 July 2002, the Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin asked Michel Boyon, a former chairman of Radio France, to report on certain aspects of digital terrestrial television (DTT) in order to enlighten the Government in its decision-making on three points - financing methods and an evaluation of the cost of the operations for reorganising frequencies necessary for setting up terrestrial digital television, the parameters of the public-service television channels on DTT, and the conditions for developing local television stations. This followed on from questions from the Chairman of the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (the audiovisual regulatory body - CSA) to the Government and requests for further information from the Minister for Culture and Communications, the Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry and the Minister for the Budget and Budget Reform. Mr Boyon submitted his report on 18 October.

Firstly, he indicates that full digitalisation of the audiovisual sector is an autonomous process for replacing one technology by another that is deemed to be more efficient and that as such DTT should be given a chance and its introduction accompanied. The replacement of analog broadcasting by digital broadcasting upholds three objectives of general interest - the rationalisation of spectrum management, the provision of a wider range of channels, and the promotion of the development of community television. The report proposes a new, more realistic schedule - the first broadcasts could be made in December 2004 for about 40% of the population, and in 2008 for 80% of the population. It lists the prerequisites for a successful, sustained process - ensuring the attractiveness of the programmes on offer, resolving the technical problems, guaranteeing the availability of reception equipment, checking that a distribution network has been set up, promoting the development of France's production of images, and creating a space for discussion and coordination among the partners in the project. These conditions are based on the assumption that the success of DTT rests broadly on the mobilisation of private initiatives.

Following this report, the Government has decided to pre-finance the initial work on reorganising analog frequencies. The cost of this work is to be borne by the DTT channel editors, which will repay the advance gradually; legislative provisions are to be adopted shortly clarifying this point. The Government has also decided, pending the conclusions of the work being carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Communications, to retain the three channels pre-empted by the State on behalf of the France Télévisions group.