There Are Still Those Who Consider Pay Analog TV, Commission I Of The House Of Representatives Asks Kominfo To Intensify Socialization

Illustration of a child watching digital TV. (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission I of the House of Representatives, Abdul Kharis Almasyhari, asked the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) to intensively disseminate analog TV to avoid confusion in the community.

Indonesia is currently known to be implementing the transition from analog TV broadcasts to digital TV broadcasts or Analog Switch Off (ASO).

"We consider that massive socialization of this program is needed, so we need a definitive budget to do it. This socialization issue needs to be improved so that there is no misunderstanding in the community", Abdul said in the Commission I Working Meeting of the House of Representatives Commission I with the Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo), Johnny G Plate, at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday 8 June.

He explained that there are still people who do not understand the ASO program. This was known to him after several recess activities.

He said, there are still people who do not know that the program is not paid every month so they feel burdened.

"People were initially 'haunted' by information that they had to pay every month because many did not understand the ASO program. Instead, I was worried that people would be nervous, so when I explained it, they only understood", he explained.

He is not worried about the public who will get the set-top box, because they will get it from the broadcasting agency or the government.

However, according to him, what is worth worrying about is that many people are not aware of the policy of switching analog television broadcasts to digital.

"When I asked the public, they were surprised that in November 2022 analog television broadcasts would stop and be replaced with digital television broadcasts", he said.

Therefore, he suggested that Kominfo intensively conduct socialization related to the ASO program so that it is not used by irresponsible parties to create chaos, especially ahead of the 2024 General Election.

Previously, the Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G Plate said that his party had started the Analog Switch Off (ASO) process, or the migration of analog TV broadcasts to digital broadcasts in all regions in Indonesia. Therefore, he asked the local government to immediately socialize the migration.

"Because when ASO has been implemented nationally, analog TVs that are not equipped with STB cannot receive broadcasts", he concluded.