While appearing before the parliamentary committee on presidential affairs, Okrut said the inspector general of government is investigating the required sum of money following the questioning of the money by the parliament accounts committee.

She told the committee that the money was arrived at after the feasibility and comparative study carried out by the Uganda Broadcasting cooperation.

She said the investigation should be expedited so that the process of getting the required finances is finalized.

UBC which was given a monopoly to supply signals to broadcasters after migrating from analogue to digital, requested for 74 million US dollars. The money is to be borrowed from Exim bank of China.

Karooro told the committee that if all the necessary facilitation for digital migration is availed, the government shall be in position to beat the 31st December 2012 deadline for digital migration which was set for the countries in the East African community.
By Mugisa Isaac Mathias

The post UBC’s 75 Million US dollars budget for digital migration questioned first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Speaking in a workshop organized by Uganda Journalist Association (UJA) on media development, Mutabazi notes that the government contracted Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) to distribute digital signals to other telecasters but the government owned company has not yet done its work as anticipated.

Mutabazi however says that Uganda might be on time if no changes arise stopping the processes that have been set in motion.

He also states that they are soon starting compelling media house owners to start remitting finances to Uganda performers rights association as a proceed for using music produced by Ugandan artists.

Ultimate Media

The post Uganda struggling to beat digitalization deadline first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

This follows admission by the government communications regulator that  Uganda Broadcasting Cooperation is not ready to deliver Uganda from analog to digital technology by the set deadline.

Uganda communication Commission’s Executive Director, Godfrey Mutabazi, Told the Parlaimentary committee on Information, Communications and Technology that although UBC was selected by Cabinet to be the sole digital provider in Uganda, the Corporation does not have money to fund the migration.

Mutabazi also said they can no longer issue analog broadcast licenses because of the migration deadline and that that UBC’s failure to beat the deadline is bound to leave Uganda in a technological black out as the rest of the world goes digital in 2015/ He said they are considering changing the current policy of UBC being the sole digital provider.

“Wwe cannot go ahead with digital planning because UBC has failed to provide the platform. In East Africa, Uganda is the only country lagging behind schedule,” Mutabazi said.

He asked Parliament to consider breaking the UBC monopoly created by cabinet so that interested parties can get rights to provide digital signals for the good of the industry.

“We should get another provider so that if UBC breaks down, the country can have an alternative provider. The problem started when Cabinet narrowed on only UBC and UBC now is not ready to beat the deadline. Digital migration is very complicated. You cannot just wake up and do it,” Mutabaazi said.

Last month, private broadcast operators opposed the idea of UBC being the sole digital provider saying that it is against the doctrines of a liberal economy.

In the same month, Ministry of finance stopped a $74m (about sh192b) contract between UBC and Huawei for the supply of digital migration equipment after Opposition Leader, Nandala Mafabi, complained that the contract was awarded without advertising.

Mutabazi said that if the issues are not solved, by either allowing private bidder or getting UBC money to buy the necessary equipment, we will not have TV in Uganda when the deadline passes.

The deadline for East African countries is 2012, while that of the world is 2015. This means that Uganda has 12 months to migrate. According to Mutabaazi, if we do not beat the regional deadline it means we cannot beat the world deadline.

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Uganda Broadcasting Corporation cannot deliver digital migration for television by deadline first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.