{"id":"F2005B00620","name":"Community Radio Licence Area Plan - Lord Howe Island (Radio) - August 1996","slug":"community-radio-licence-area-plan-lord-howe-island-radio-august-1996","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":32079,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005B00620-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"LICENCE AREA PLAN - LORD HOWE ISLAND","sectionType":"part","heading":"LICENCE AREA PLAN - LORD HOWE ISLAND","content":"# LICENCE AREA PLAN - LORD HOWE ISLAND","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"DETERMINATION","sectionType":"division","heading":"DETERMINATION","content":"### DETERMINATION\n\nThe Australian Broadcasting Authority hereby makes this plan for community radio broadcasting services in the Lord Howe Island area of New South Wales, under section 26(1) of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.\n\nOne community radio broadcasting service is to be available in the Lord Howe Island area described at Attachment 1.1 to this determination with the use of the broadcasting services bands. The characteristics, including technical specifications, of the service that is to be available in the area described at Attachment 1.1 is set out in the Schedule and Attachments 1.2 to this Determination.\n\nDated 27 August 1996\n\n  \nSCHEDULE\n\nThe Schedule sets out:\n\n-   the category of each of the services that are to be available in that area (column one),\n-   the service licence number which has been allocated to the service, if appropriate (column two); N/A = Not Applicable, as the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 only requires service licences for Commercial and Community services.\n-   the number of transmitters required to transmit the service,\n-   the transmitter specification number which has been allocated to each transmitter (column three),\n-   the identifying number of the attachment where the technical specifications for each transmitter are described (column four). (Each set of technical specifications referred to in the Schedules is an attachment to this determination).\n-   the general area served by each transmitter (column five).\n\n  \nSCHEDULE ONE\n\nLicence Area Plan - Lord Howe Island - (Radio) - August 1996\n\n| Category ofService | Service Licence No: | Transmitter Specification No: | TechnicalSpecifications | General Area Served by Transmitter |\n| ------------------ | ------------------- | ----------------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------- |\n| Community          | SL010247            | TS004146                      | See attachment 1.2      | Lord Howe Island                   |","sortOrder":1}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This determination implements the basic, original purpose of a licence area plan: to designate that a community radio service be made available in a defined geographic area and to set the associated technical parameters. It does not broaden the statutory scheme or add functions beyond allocating a community service, specifying the transmitter, and pointing to technical attachments; therefore it has not grown beyond its original purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (single-page determination and a brief Schedule).","One service category designated (community) and one transmitter specification listed — low branching logic.","Cross-reference to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (section 26(1)).","References out to attachments (Attachment 1.1 for area description and Attachment 1.2 for technical specifications) — substantive technical detail delegated to attachments.","Use of administrative identifiers (Service licence SL010247, Transmitter spec TS004146) requiring readers to match identifiers to attachments.","No nested exceptions or lengthy definitions within the text provided."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this document does (mechanical effect)**\n\n- The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) uses its power under section 26(1) of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to make a licence area plan for Lord Howe Island.\n- The plan specifies that one community radio broadcasting service must be available in the Lord Howe Island area described in Attachment 1.1 to the Determination. (See the Determination and Schedule.)\n- The Schedule assigns that community service a service licence number (SL010247), a transmitter specification number (TS004146), and directs the reader to Attachment 1.2 for technical specifications about the transmitter. The general area served is Lord Howe Island. (Determination; Schedule; Attachment 1.2; section 26(1) of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.)\n\n**Who this affects**\n\n- The potential community broadcaster or community organisation that will hold or apply for the community radio service licence in Lord Howe Island (they will need to meet licence conditions and the technical specifications in Attachment 1.2).\n- Residents and listeners on Lord Howe Island (they are the intended audience and may be affected by the availability, content and coverage of the designated service).\n- Other broadcasters and prospective entrants (the plan limits the community-service allocation for this geographical area to the one service specified).\n- Equipment suppliers, technicians and the regulator (because technical specifications determine transmitter type, power, and coverage and require compliance and enforcement).\n\n**Why it matters (purpose claim and practical tests)**\n\n- The stated purpose (the plan’s own claim) is to ensure a community radio broadcasting service is available to the Lord Howe Island area by formally designating the service and its technical parameters (Determination; Schedule).\n\n- Who pays: the operating community broadcaster will bear most direct costs — equipment, site and transmitter installation, licence application and compliance costs, and ongoing operating costs. Indirectly, listeners bear opportunity costs of the available programming choices.\n\n- Who decides: the ABA made the designation and sets the plan; technical and licensing compliance will be enforced under the Broadcasting Services Act framework (section 26(1) is the making power cited).\n\n- Behavioural effect: the plan creates an administrative entitlement (the specified community service and transmitter parameters) that governs which signals may lawfully be transmitted under the community category in that area. That limits the number of community services in that geographic licence area to the one identified unless the plan is later varied.\n\n- Competition and private choice: by allocating a single community service to the area and tying it to particular technical specifications, the measure concentrates the opportunity (the right to operate that community service) in a single licence holder; this reduces the number of distinct community broadcasters who can lawfully operate on that allocated service in the area unless the plan is changed.\n\n- Costs, trade-offs and compliance burden: the instrument itself is administrative and short, but it imports compliance obligations by reference to the Broadcasting Services Act and to the technical Attachment (1.2). The main costs are on the licence-holder to meet the technical and ongoing regulatory conditions; there may be modest administrative costs for the regulator to monitor compliance. The plan does not itself set fees in the text provided; fees and statutory obligations derive from the broader Act and licence conditions.\n\n- Implementation risk and discretion: the plan delegates detailed technical parameters to Attachment 1.2 and relies on the ABA to enforce the plan. Coverage in practice will depend on those technical specs and their correct implementation and monitoring; inaccuracies or changes in technology/site conditions could produce different real-world coverage from the intended coverage.\n\n**Concrete mechanism and constraints**\n\n- The plan is not a content licence; it is an administrative instrument that: (a) names the service category (community), (b) allocates an identifying service number, (c) specifies transmitter identification and points the reader to technical attachments, and (d) identifies the geographic area served.\n\n- To operate, an entity will need to hold or obtain whatever service licence and approvals the Broadcasting Services Act requires for community services and meet the transmitter technical specifications in Attachment 1.2.\n\n**Key references in the instrument**\n\n- Determination under section 26(1) of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.\n- Schedule (lists service licence SL010247 and transmitter spec TS004146; general area: Lord Howe Island).\n- Attachment 1.2 (technical specifications for the transmitter) and Attachment 1.1 (area description)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a straightforward, narrow technical instrument that does exactly what it says on the tin: it allocates one community radio licence for Lord Howe Island. There is no evidence of scope creep — it hasn't expanded beyond its original purpose of spectrum allocation for a specific remote community."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (approximately 300 words)","Only 1 defined service category (Community)","Single table with 5 columns and 1 row of data","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling section (s 26(1) Broadcasting Services Act 1992)","No conditional logic or exceptions","Technical specifications referenced but not included in the visible text (referred to as 'Attachment 1.2')"],"plain_english_summary":"This document is a **licence area plan** made by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (now the Australian Communications and Media Authority) in 1996. It sets out the rules for **community radio broadcasting** on **Lord Howe Island**, a remote island in New South Wales.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Allocates one community radio licence** for Lord Howe Island\n- Specifies that this service will use the **broadcasting services bands** (the radio frequencies set aside for radio and TV)\n- Provides a **service licence number** (SL010247) and **technical specifications** for the transmitter (TS004146)\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Community radio broadcasters wanting to operate on Lord Howe Island\n- Residents of Lord Howe Island who want to listen to local community radio\n- The regulator (the ABA) when issuing licences\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis plan ensures that Lord Howe Island has dedicated radio spectrum (radio frequencies) reserved for a **community radio service** — non-commercial, local broadcasting run by volunteers or community groups. Without this plan, commercial broadcasters could potentially claim those frequencies, or there might be interference between different radio services.\n\nThe document is essentially a **technical allocation** — it says \"this specific frequency and transmitter setup is reserved for one community radio station on this island.\""}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/community-radio-licence-area-plan-lord-howe-island-radio-august-1996","history":"/api/acts/community-radio-licence-area-plan-lord-howe-island-radio-august-1996/history","analysis":"/api/acts/community-radio-licence-area-plan-lord-howe-island-radio-august-1996/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/community-radio-licence-area-plan-lord-howe-island-radio-august-1996/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/community-radio-licence-area-plan-lord-howe-island-radio-august-1996/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/community-radio-licence-area-plan-lord-howe-island-radio-august-1996/documents"}}