Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

BROADCASTING SERVICES ACT 1992 - SECT 34

             (1)  If:

                     (a)  the ACMA has advertised under section 38 for applications for the allocation of one or more commercial television broadcasting licences or commercial radio broadcasting licences that are broadcasting services bands licences and that licence is not allocated or not all of those licences are allocated; or

                     (b)  broadcasting services bands spectrum is available in a licence area but has not been made available for commercial television broadcasting licences or commercial radio broadcasting licences; or

                     (c)  broadcasting services bands spectrum has been reserved under section 31 but has not been made available for the purpose for which it was reserved; or

                     (d)  broadcasting services bands spectrum is available but the ACMA has not commenced or completed planning and allocation processes in relation to that spectrum;

the ACMA may, by written instrument, determine that the part or parts of the radiofrequency spectrum concerned is or are available for allocation, for a period specified by the ACMA:

                     (e)  for the temporary transmission or the re‑transmission of programs; or

                    (ea)  to temporary community broadcasting licensees; or

                      (f)  to providers of subscription broadcasting services, subscription narrowcasting services or open narrowcasting services; or

                    (fa)  for the transmission of datacasting services on a temporary basis; or

                     (g)  for other purposes.

             (2)  In making a determination under subsection (1), the ACMA is to have regard to:

                     (a)  the possible future demand for the use of that part of the radiofrequency spectrum; and

                     (b)  such other matters as the ACMA considers relevant.

             (3)  The ACMA may, by written instrument, determine that a part or parts of the broadcasting services bands spectrum is or are available for allocation for the purposes of the transmission of datacasting services.

             (4)  In making a determination under subsection (3), the ACMA is to have regard to:

                     (a)  the possible future demand for the use of that part of the radiofrequency spectrum for the provision of commercial television broadcasting services; and

                     (b)  such other matters as the ACMA considers relevant.

          (4A)  Each part determined under subsection (3) must be 7 MHz. However, this rule does not prevent a particular part from being determined even if it adjoins:

                     (a)  another part that is also specified in the determination; or

                     (b)  2 other parts that are also specified in the determination.

             (5)  For the purposes of the application of this section to the availability of the spectrum before 1 January 2007, a datacasting service is a datacasting service provided under, and in accordance with the conditions of, a datacasting licence.

             (6)  For the purposes of the application of this section to the availability of the spectrum on or after 1 January 2007, a datacasting service is:

                     (a)  a datacasting service provided under, and in accordance with the conditions of, a datacasting licence; or

                     (b)  a datacasting service provided under any other licence allocated by the ACMA under this Act; or

                     (c)  a datacasting service provided in accordance with a class licence.