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ACMA cancels Access 31 licence

ACMA reluctantly cancels the licence for Perth's community broadcaster, but looks optimistically to new applicants.

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Another nail in the coffin of Perth’s Access 31 has been announced today with news that the Australian Communications and Media Authority has cancelled its community television licence.

The move follows the sudden ceasing of broadcasts on August 6th, with an “R.I.P.” style announcement.

“The loss of Perth’s community television service is a disappointing outcome,” said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. “The decision to cancel the licence was not taken lightly.”

But ACMA will move quickly to ensure the Perth community could again have access to a community television service. It says “a number of parties” have expressed interest in reviving community television in Perth. ACMA will shortly invite applications to conduct a two year trial community television service.

Access 31 members voted to wind-up the company on September 1st, appointing Mr Kim Holbrook as liquidator.

Press Release:
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has cancelled the community television licence for Perth held by ACCESS 31. ACCESS 31 ceased broadcasting on 6 August 2008.

‘The loss of Perth’s community television service is a disappointing outcome,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘The decision to cancel the licence was not taken lightly.

‘ACMA is charged with promoting the availability of a diverse range of television services throughout Australia, as well as ensuring that broadcasters meet all their statutory obligations. ACMA reached its decision after considerable deliberations and taking into account both these objectives,’ Mr Chapman said.

‘ACMA will now move quickly to ensure the Perth community can once again have access to a community television service,’ he said.

A number of interested parties have contacted ACMA and/or the liquidator with a view to providing a community television service for Perth. ACMA will shortly invite applications to conduct a two year trial community television service for Perth.

Community broadcasting licences are subject to the condition that the licensee provides a service or services for community purposes. On 18 September 2008, ACMA found that Channel 31 Educational Community Television Ltd, licensee of ACCESS 31, breached this licence condition as it was no longer providing a service for the Perth community.

ACCESS 31 ceased broadcasting at 5.00 pm on Wednesday 6 August 2008. A meeting of members of the licensee held on 1 September 2008 voted to wind-up the company voluntarily and appointed Mr Kim Holbrook as liquidator.

Under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the Act), ACMA may suspend the licence, for a period up to three months, or cancel the licence if the licensee breaches a condition of the licence. ACMA decided to cancel ACCESS 31’s licence with effect from 18 September 2008.

2 Responses

  1. ACMA is just the legislative regulator of the industry – it’s not the policy driver… That would be the Department of Broadcasting, Communications and the Digital Economy. DBCDE would (and the previous Government) be in charge of coming up with the policy to switch over to Digital. ACMA would simply make sure that the broadcasters meet the legislated regulatory requirements.

    At the end of the day, the cancellation was a mere formality. If ACMA kept the license open, they wouldn’t have been able to reissue it (it’s the law)… So cancelling this now opens up the opportunity for another Community tv operator to come in….

    But a sad time none the less..

  2. Considering it was ACMA’s own rules; being the requirement to convert to digital broadcasting, and associated new equipment costs, plus ACMA’s refusal to provide short term Federal funding assistance to achieve that conversion, it seems very ironic that ACMA snatches the licence back for breaching its conditions. Does ACMA exist to help or to hinder?

    I would hope that ACMA in due course reissues the licence without re-collecting the big establishment fees that it probably costs to acquire the licence in the first place.

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