These are the Broadcasting Services (Technical Planning) Guidelines 2017.
3 Authority
These guidelines are made under section 33 of the Broadcasting Services Act.
5 Application
Unless otherwise specified, these guidelines apply to licensees.
Note: See paragraphs 108A(1)(d), 109(1)(e), 109A(1)(f) and 109B(1)(n) of the Radiocommunications Act.
6 Interpretation
(1) In these guidelines:
AM radio band means the frequency range 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz.
AM radio service means:
(a) a commercial radio broadcasting service;
(b) a community radio broadcasting service;
(c) a national radio broadcasting service; or
(d) an open narrowcasting radio service;
transmitted in the AM radio band.
authorised person, in relation to a transmitter licence, means a person authorised to operate a radiocommunications device under the licence, under Division 4 of Part 3.3 of the Radiocommunications Act.
broadcasting licensee means the holder of a broadcasting service transmitter licence.
broadcasting service transmitter licence means a transmitter licence issued under section 101A or section 102 of the Radiocommunications Act.
Broadcasting Services Act means the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.
channel means a part of the radiofrequency spectrum intended to be used, or set aside for use, for radio emission.
Note: A channel may be described as a part of the spectrum bounded by two frequencies, by the centre frequency of the channel and the channel’s bandwidth, or by another method.
cymomotive force or CMF, for a transmitter, means the product, expressed in volts, of:
(a) the electric field strength at a given point in space, due to the operation of the transmitter; and
(b) the distance of that point from the transmitter’s antenna.
Note 1: See subguideline 6(2).
Note 2: At a distance of 1 kilometre from the transmitter’s antenna, the CMF for a transmitter corresponds numerically to the electric field strength in millivolts per metre (mV/m).
datacasting licensee means the holder of a datacasting transmitter licence.
datacasting service means a service that is, or a number of services together that are, transmitted by a transmitter the operation of which is authorised by a datacasting transmitter licence.
Note: The definition of datacasting service in these guidelines is different to the definition of datacasting service in the Broadcasting Services Act.
datacasting service area, in relation to a datacasting service, means the geographic area in which the ACMA has made available a channel for use by the datacasting service, in a determination made under section 34 of the Broadcasting Services Act.
datacasting transmitter licence means an apparatus licence issued under Part 3.3 of the Radiocommunications Act for a transmitter that is for use for transmitting a datacasting service within the meaning of the Broadcasting Services Act, but does not include:
(a) a licence issued under section 102 of the Radiocommunications Act; or
(b) a digital radio multiplex transmitter licence; or
(c) an NBS transmitter licence;
and includes an authorisation under section 114 of the Radiocommunications Act by the licensee of such a licence.
designated BSA radio area has the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
device has the meaning given by subsection 9(1) of the Radiocommunications Act.
digital radio broadcasting service means:
(a) a commercial radio broadcasting service;
(b) a community radio broadcasting service; or
(c) a national radio broadcasting service;
transmitted by a transmitter authorised by a digital radio multiplex transmitter licence.
digital radio channel plan has the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
DRCP means a digital radio channel plan.
DRMT licence means a digital radio multiplex transmitter licence within the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
DRMT licensee means the holder of a digital radio multiplex transmitter licence.
effective radiated power or ERP, for a transmitter, in a direction, is the product, expressed in watts, of:
(a) the power supplied to the transmitter’s antenna; and
(b) the antenna’s gain, relative to a half-wave dipole antenna, in the direction.
EMC calculations, in relation to a transmitter, means calculations of the potential for interference (if any) caused by the operation of the transmitter to radiocommunications made by radiocommunications licensees.
Note 1: See guideline 19.
Note 2: Radiocommunications made by radiocommunications licensees include broadcasting services, national broadcasting services, datacasting services and digital radio broadcasting services.
FM radio band means the frequency range 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz.
FM radio service means:
(a) a commercial radio broadcasting service;
(b) a community radio broadcasting service;
(c) a national radio broadcasting service; or
(d) an open narrowcasting radio service;
transmitted in the FM radio band.
frequency block means a channel that has a bandwidth of 1.536 MHz.
Note: For digital radio, the frequency blocks are identified by the European channel number allocated to the corresponding television channel, and lettered in the sequence A, B, C and D. Australian television channels 6, 7, 8, 9 and 9A correspond to European television channels 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Australian and European television channels have identical numbering for television channels 10, 11 and 12. Consequently, some frequency block identifiers do not correspond with Australian television channel identifiers. For example, frequency block identifiers 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D correspond with Australian television channel 6.
interference has the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
interpretation determination means:
(a) the Radiocommunications (Interpretation) Determination 2025; or
(b) if a later instrument replaces that determination – the later instrument.
Note: The interpretation determination is a legislative instrument and is available, free of charge, from the Federal Register of Legislation at www.legislation.gov.au.
LAP means a licence area plan.
licensee means each of:
(a) a broadcasting licensee;
(b) a datacasting licensee;
(c) a DRMT licensee.
narrowcasting service means:
(a) an open narrowcasting service;
(b) a subscription narrowcasting service.
narrowcasting service area, in relation to a narrowcasting service, means the area for the service specified in:
(a) if the service is planned in a LAP – the LAP; or
(b) in any other case – a transmitter licence that authorises the operation of a transmitter for transmitting the service.
Note: The area for a narrowcasting service may be referred to in a special condition in a LAP or a relevant transmitter licence as the “coverage area”, “coverage radius” or “licence area”.
national signal reception area, in relation to a transmitter that is operated to transmit a national broadcasting service, means the area in which the median field strength is equal to, or greater than, the planned minimum field strength.
NBS transmitter licence has the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
nominal location, for a transmitter, means the location of the transmitter specified in a LAP or DRCP.
nominal transmission parameters, for a transmitter, means the technical specifications for the transmitter determined in a LAP or DRCP.
Note: Where a LAP or DRCP sets out a maximum level for a technical specification, the nominal transmission parameter that relates to that technical specification is the maximum level.
planned minimum field strength, in relation to a service to which these guidelines apply, means:
(a) for a transmitter authorised to be operated in the AM radio band — 54 dBV/m (0.5 mV/m); and
(b) for a transmitter authorised to be operated in the FM radio band — 54 dBV/m; and
(c) for a VHF television transmitter — 44 dBμV/m; and
(d) for a UHF television transmitter:
(i) if the transmitter operates on a frequency less than 610 MHz — 50 dBμV/m;
(ii) if the transmitter operates on a frequency equal to or greater than 610 MHz — 54 dBμV/m; and
(e) for a transmitter operated under a DRMT licence — 60 dBV/m;
unless otherwise specified in:
(f) the LAP that relates to the transmitter; or
(g) the DRCP that relates to the transmitter; or
(h) the transmitter licence that authorises the operation of the transmitter.
Note 1: The planned minimum field strength is the minimum median field strength planned for a service for which protection against interference may be afforded.
Note 2: A higher median field strength may be specified for some broadcasting services. For example, an interference-limited service, or a service intended to serve an area for which protection to the planned minimum field strength is not required, might have a higher median field strength specified in the relevant LAP.
Note: Example for note 2: A repeater that services several suburbs with deficient coverage, but whose coverage area is enclosed within that of a much higher powered transmitter that covers most of a much larger metropolitan area.
Note 3: In the case of the AM radio band, the field strength to be considered is that of the day-time ground wave signal (not the sky wave signal).
Note 4: The planned minimum field strength for all services except AM radio is calculated at a height of 10 metres above ground.
radio emission has the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
radiocommunication has the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
Radiocommunications Act means the Radiocommunications Act 1992.
radiocommunications device has the meaning given by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
radiocommunications licensee means a “licensee” within the meaning given to that term by section 5 of the Radiocommunications Act.
technical operating specifications, in relation to a transmitter, means all the characteristics of the transmitter in operation, including the site of the transmitter, the height of the transmitting antenna, the frequency on which the transmitter transmits, and the radiation pattern of the transmission.
television broadcasting service means:
(a) a commercial television broadcasting service;
(b) a community television broadcasting service;
(c) a national television broadcasting service;
(d) an open narrowcasting television service.
transmitter has the meaning given by subsection 8(2) of the Radiocommunications Act.
transmitter licence means any of the following licences:
(a) a licence issued under section 101A of the Radiocommunications Act;
(b) a licence issued under section 102 of the Radiocommunications Act;
(c) a datacasting transmitter licence;
(d) a digital radio multiplex transmitter licence;
(e) a licence issued under section 100 of the Radiocommunications Act that authorises the transmission of a narrowcasting service.
UHF has the meaning given by the interpretation determination.
UHF television transmitter means a transmitter authorised to operate in UHF.
urban centre means an area designated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as an urban centre in the 2011 Census.
VHF has the meaning given by the interpretation determination.
VHF television transmitter means a transmitter authorised to operate in VHF.
Note: A number of other expressions used in these guidelines are defined in the Broadcasting Services Act, including the following:
ACMA;
broadcasting service;
(c) broadcasting services bands;
(d) commercial broadcasting service;
(e) commercial radio broadcasting service;
(f) community broadcasting service;
(g) community radio broadcasting service;
(i) digital radio multiplex transmitter licence;
(j) licence area;
(k) licence area plan;
(l) national broadcasting service;
(m) national radio broadcasting service;
(n) open narrowcasting service;
(o) subscription narrowcasting service;
(p) television licence area plan.
(2) For the purposes of calculating CMF for a transmitter:
(a) the field strength must be measured at a distance from the transmitter’s antenna where the reactive effects are negligible; and
(b) assume that the finite conductivity of the ground has no effect on propagation.
7 References to other instruments
In this instrument, unless the contrary intention appears:
(a) a reference to any other legislative instrument is a reference to that other legislative instrument as in force from time to time; and
(b) a reference to any other kind of instrument or writing is a reference to that other kind of instrument or writing as in force or in existence at the commencement of this instrument.
Note 1: For references to Commonwealth Acts, see section 10 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901; and see also subsection 13(1) of the Legislation Act 2003 for the application of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to legislative instruments.
Note 2: All Commonwealth Acts and legislative instruments are registered on the Federal Register of Legislation, which may be accessed at www.legislation.gov.au.
8 Site tolerance
If a licence area plan refers to these guidelines in relation to site tolerance, subguideline (2) applies.
For the purposes of that licence area plan, a person will be taken to operate a transmitter in accordance with a technical specification determined in the licence area plan if, in relation to that technical specification, the transmitter is operated in accordance with these guidelines, as they apply to or modify that technical specification, or as they allow the person to act otherwise than in accordance with that specification, subject to any conditions set out in these guidelines.