Parliament grills Muthambi over 'slow' digital migration
Cape Town - Communications Minister Faith Muthambi was chastised during a portfolio committee meeting on Thursday about the delays in government’s rollout of digital migration.
“Your management of this process is found wanting,” said Mmamaloko Kubayi, ANC MP and chairperson of the portfolio committee on telecommunications and postal services.
“This project is moving along at a snail’s pace,” Kubayi added. “We received a presentation on this matter a year ago and a number of assurances were given. You must look at what has been promised to this committee and you must explain why you’ve deviated from it.” Muthambi along with representatives from Sentech, the South African Post Office (SAPO) and the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) appeared before a joint committee meeting of Parliament on Thursday to give an update on progress made in the implementation of government’s broadcasting digital migration policy.
It’s been more than a year since South Africa missed a deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 17 June 2015 to switch over from analogue television to digital broadcasts.
The migration process, once concluded, will will move the SABC from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT) signals and open up the digital spectrum for faster mobile internet.