1.1  Does the Government have a role to play in promoting or preventing one or more of the identified technologies used to transmit or receive digital television?

1.2  If so, what objectives should the Government be seeking to achieve and what interventions should it consider to achieve those objectives?

Should suitable spectrum for terrestrial use be allocated in due course, and if so, on what basis?

Spectrum for Satellite Television

2.1  Is the existing administrative licensing regime which applies to spectrum for satellite transmissions appropriate? If so:

1. Should any resource charge be considered to give greater equity vis-a-vis terrestrial broadcasters?

2. How should the Ministry determine whether to provide terrestrial licences or to preserve and license the spectrum for satellite services?

2.2  If administrative licensing is not appropriate, what is a preferable alternative?

Spectrum for Digital Terrestrial Television

2.3  What spectrum should the Government make available for terrestrial digital television services?

2.4  Should the Government allocate spectrum in the form of management rights, spectrum licences, or a combination of both?

2.5  Are the allocation options put forward in 1998 still valid?

2.6  What allocation of 12 GHz spectrum should be made?

Spectrum for Simulcasting

2.7  Should any special provision be made for existing broadcasters to manage the transition to digital television?

2.8  If so, should any such provision incorporate a requirement to implement particular transmissions in, and for, specified timeframes?

2.9  If so, are either of the options discussed above suitable, or are there further preferable alternatives?

Competition Issues

2.10  Is anti-competitive behaviour likely in respect of digital television services?

2.11  Are there any particular characteristics of spectrum suitable for digital television, or of broadcasting markets, which justify acquisition limits for spectrum over and above the Commerce Act safeguards?

2.12  If so, what are these factors and what form and level of limits are appropriate? Should analogue services should be "switched off" at a certain date, and if so, what policies should apply?

3.1  Should a policy of mandatory termination be established, and if so, at what time should the Government consider establishing the actual termination date, and what criteria should be used in determining the date? Or

3.2  Should the termination issue should be left for industry to manage in light of their costs and viewer take up? Or

3.3  Should the termination issue be left open, to be reviewed at a future date, and if so when should such a review be undertaken? Does ensuring public choice and access to a full range of digital television content and services warrant specific Government policy interventions, e.g. mandated standards for open access and set top boxes?

4.1  If so, what aspects should such requirements cover (potentially terrestrial, satellite, and cable transmissions, free to air, pay tv, conditional access and middleware)?

4.2  Should industry develop agreed performance requirements and standards for set top boxes, for example through Standards New Zealand?

4.3  Should product labelling and consumer information be implemented in regard to digital television receiving equipment?

Geographical Coverage

5.1  Should the Government take steps to ensure that rural and provincial areas are guaranteed access to certain digital services in the future? If so, what services are necessary and what steps should be considered?

5.2  Should the Government take steps to facilitate arrangements for the broadcast of all free to air services on the satellite platform? What approach should be taken for other non-commercial broadcast services and services which are only economic on a terrestrial platform?

5.3  Are rural and provincial areas likely to face greater costs than urban areas in the transition from analogue to digital?

5.4  Are there any considerations that suggest that the transition to digital television services in rural and provincial areas should follow a different timeframe to that for the rest of the country?

5.6  Are there any other issues facing rural and provincial areas in the transition to digital television that should be taken into account in the policy development process?

What are the implications of digital television for public broadcasting services and local and special interest content?

6.1  Does the Government have a role in ensuring that all New Zealanders have access to digitally broadcast public interest programming? How can/should this be achieved?

6.2  What issues are seen in the broadcasting of public interest programming in a digital environment?

6.3  Should special account be taken of the availability of channels which currently carry public interest broadcasting, i.e. TV One, TV 2, TV3 and non-commercial regional stations?

6.4  In what ways will audience fragmentation positively or negatively impact on public interest programming?

6.5  How will the audience fragmentation likely in a digital environment affect broadcasters financially?

6.6  How will the introduction of digital television broadcasting impact on non-commercial broadcasters?

6.7  How will the introduction of a digital television broadcasting environment affect the future Maori television service?