Free-to-air DTTV

I refer to the article entitled Full Digital Broadcasting By 2010 (May 25).

Ivan Camilleri quotes a spokesman from the Malta Communications Authority: "The move will mean that television broadcasting companies will have to start transmitting in digital format. At the moment only Net TV is in a position to do so, the spokesman said." This is highly inaccurate.

Smash TV was transmitting in digital format between November 1, 2004 and January 20, 2005 when the MCA stopped it because of policy issues. The MCA had not even formulated a policy for DTTV when Smash was already transmitting in DTTV format.

An administrative fine of Lm10,000 was going to be imposed and also Lm200 daily for each day of non compliance if we did not switch off our DTTV transmissions.

Smash TV was the first and only Maltese TV to transmit free-to-air DTTV in Malta as a free service to our viewers, with high-quality pictures and stereo sound. Smash TV is the only Maltese TV station which is DTTV-ready and is waiting for the government to decide on a policy for the operation of the three available frequencies for free-to-air stations.

In the rest of the world, spectrum allocation for DTTV first went to free-to-air stations. In Malta the opposite happened! First the MCA cleared the spectrum for Pay TV network providers and as yet it has not even started thinking about clearing spectrum for the free-to-air stations.

Smash TV had requested a frequency for DTTV transmissions as early as March 1, 2004. In a letter addressed to Smash TV, dated January 21, 2005, Joseph V. Tabone, MCA chairman, stated: "Government is in the process of issuing a strategy paper on the implementation of DTTV. Once this is published the MCA will be in a position to address the request made by Smash TV."

To date, nothing has happened.

Smash TV's digital transmitters are silent at the moment awaiting a government policy decision over the issue of free-to-air DTTV.

We ask the MCA to seek the resignation of the spokesman in question, as this has caused us irreparable harm. Such gross incompetence shown by the staff of the MCA is reflecting badly on the minister responsible. On paper it appears that everything is fine but in reality things are really different!