Transition to digital broadcasting and the digital dividend
Benefits of digitization for electronic communications services and information companies in the future
Workshop for public consultation
Contact information:
Dada, a.s.
Markéta Kubečková
Tel.: +420 737 215 765
kubeckova@dada.cz
www.digitalni-dividenda.cz
Location:
TOP HOTEL Praha, Blažimská 1781/4
149 00 Prague 4 - Chodov
Czech Republic
Dear radio spectrum users,
Nowadays, most of the inhabitants and visitors of the Czech Republic witness the use of radio spectrum, be they radio broadcasting listeners, TV broadcasting viewers, customers of mobile phone networks, car drivers with remote car locks or with navigation systems, parents of the children who play with remote control toy models, or operators or users of a series of other wireless applications that we meet anywhere. We all have now the opportunity to co-decide how to get greater benefit from radio spectrum use for further development of the society as a whole.
This opportunity is being referred to as the digital dividend and emerges in the context of the transition to digital terrestrial TV broadcasting, that needs substantially lower number of frequencies to transmit the same TV programmes than the existing analogue broadcasting.
The Czech Telecommunication Office (CTO), namely its officials dealing with the field of spectrum management and myself, in my capacity of the President of the CTO Council, consider this opportunity as of great importance, and we are convinced that, in a way similar to other countries, the discussion on its possible future use should not happen only behind closed doors of government agencies or among technicians or lawyers. There is no doubt that this discussion should involve all the existing or future users of the spectrum or of the services provided through it who have shaped their opinion on these issues and want to contribute to the decision making in a qualified manner.
Our intention is not to limit the discussion to one document only and to this public discussion, which is not happening in compliance with the provisions of the law on electronic communications, but we want, thanks to this document and the subsequent discussion, open a complex process comprising a series of phases, including, among others, workshops, conferences or further public discussions about the definition of the digital dividend objectives, public discussions related to the specific steps in radio spectrum management in keeping with the future development of transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting.
Nevertheless, we consider it important to inform you in time with sufficient notice before the adoption of important decisions in the spectrum management and open as wide as possible discussion on this issue. We suppose that this discussion shall involve mainly the respective committees and commissions of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the ministries concerned, the Council for Radio and TV Broadcasting, the Councils of the Czech Radio and of the Czech TV, as well as operators of radio and TV broadcasting, and even possible investors and operators of broadcasting networks who could benefit from the digital dividend.
We intend to sum up this initial round of a systematic public discussion in September this year at a workshop and open, on this basis, another round that would be more focussed on individual specific issues of the digital dividend in the Czech Republic and on the preparation of necessary and timely decisions.
PhDr. Pavel Dvořák, CSc.
President of the Council
CTO
www.ctu.cz
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