"At present, the ASO has been implemented in 137 broadcasting areas encompassing 265 districts and cities, including major cities," the Ministry's Director General of Post and Informatics Wayan Toni Supriyanto said here on Monday.
The government is expecting to implement the analog switch-off in more areas, he said, adding that Medan in North Sumatra and Makassar in South Sulawesi will be the next major urban areas to undergo ASO.
Supriyanto said ASO implementation has not been uniform in Indonesia as several private broadcasters are yet to provide set-top-box (STB) units for poorer households as per their commitment.
In contrast, the government has provided 1,215,600 STB units to eligible households, surpassing its target of distributing 1 million STBs, he added.
"The private broadcasters, targeted to disburse 4.3 million STB units, at present have only distributed 248,490 units or 5.7 percent of the target," the official informed.
Supriyanto said that the directorate general, which is responsible for the analog switch-off program, is seeking solutions to expedite the STB unit distribution for poorer residents to allow them to enjoy digital television broadcasts.
One of the proposed solutions to address the issue is revising existing regulations by including the provision of fines against private broadcasters who are yet to complete their STB unit distribution commitment, he added.
"We are still considering the regulation revision to accelerate the STB unit distribution realization, and we are considering sanctions or fines as penalty options," the director general said.
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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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