Radio industry consultation and engagement

The first three months have already been busy for the ARCIA committee as we plan our major activities for 2015. In January, ARCIA Executive Officer Ian Miller and I travelled to Canberra to participate in the Department of Communications’ consultation on proposed changes to the Radio Communications Act 1992. The meeting was very well attended by a large number of interested parties, all concerned about what the changes might mean, in particular the move towards consolidating the three licence types into a single format.

The subject matter necessarily covered a broad range of industries including broadcasting, satellite and radio communications so there was a wide-ranging discussion about the possible ways forward for Australia. It is very important that ARCIA participates in these reforms and we look forward to further consultations. ARCIA members are encouraged to follow the debate and discuss any matters with local ARCIA representatives.

The partner and planning days in February, where we again came together in Melbourne over two days to discuss our industry in detail, were a great success. Major subjects included private band management, training, events, representation and industry engagement just to name a few. We thank our committee members and partners for committing so fully to these discussions; it is an indication of the high level of support for the association.

We spent a lot of time talking about private band management with partners and committee members, and while there is broad support for the concept there is a tremendous amount of work to do to come up with a plan that makes sense for our industry. This refers to the possibility that the ACMA will set aside some channels within radio spectrum space under a ‘private park’ format to be managed by a body other than the ACMA. ARCIA sees this as an opportunity to look at general commercial use of spectrum instead of UHF CB and we have taken a lead role in proposing a new format for consideration by the ACMA.

We all understand the tremendous community value that UHF CB provides; however, this spectrum is often not the best fit for commercial operations, especially in high-density areas. If the right mix of spectrum policy, industry regulation and consumer acceptance can be achieved, then major benefits can be delivered to the Australian economy. These discussions have the potential to have a profound impact on the services that our industry members can supply, so again, I urge you to communicate with your state representatives at industry events to have your voice heard.

By the time you read this, our Western Australian event will have taken place. I would like to thank our media partner, Westwick-Farrow Media, publisher of Critical Comms, for its work in adding value to these state events by running a mini conference program in the afternoons. I think these sessions have the potential to really make the ARCIA Regional events a must attend for everyone involved with our industry. And a very big thank you also to ARCIA WA members for organising and hosting the event.

Hamish Duff, President

Australian Radio Communications Industry Association