7Digital channel plan

7 Digital channel plan

(1) The allotment of additional channels to national broadcasters, allowing the national broadcasters to transmit programs in analog and digital modes during a simulcast period, will be done in a digital channel plan made by the ACMA under section 12 or taken to be made by the ACMA under section 13.

(1A) Subject to subsection (1B), a digital channel plan may allot channels to national broadcasters in a coverage area, allowing the holders to transmit in digital mode after a simulcast period for the coverage area.

(1B) A digital channel plan must not allot channels to national broadcasters in a coverage area if a television licence area plan for the licence area that corresponds to the coverage area has come into force.

Note Clause 22AA of Schedule 4 to the Act provides that this Scheme, and a digital channel plan, to the extent to which they allot channels for a particular coverage area, cease to have effect when the television licence area plan for the licence area that corresponds to the coverage area comes into force.

(2) A digital channel plan may deal with:

(a) all coverage areas (other than coverage areas dealt with in Part B of this Scheme); or

(b) 1 or more specified coverage areas (other than coverage areas dealt with in Part B of this Scheme).

Note As a result of subs (2), there may be more than 1 document available at any time with the title digital channel plan.

(3) A digital channel plan may also deal with a specified part of a coverage area.