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Get switched on to digital
The big switchover to digital TV from analog in our two biggest cities is just a few weeks away – December 3 in Sydney and one week later in Melbourne. And while Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Hobart have already gone digital without the sky falling in, and many of us in the eastern states are already hooked up to the new services, there’s a bit of confusion out there in older and smaller apartment blocks.
QUESTION: I am on the Executive Committee of a small block of 11 units. Does current strata law demand that the entire building be up-graded to receive the digital signal? Fair Trading says the Owners Corp only has to repair or maintain existing facilities and is not legally required to install new technology.
They think we can advise owners and tenants to get their very own set-top-box instead. Someone said that the existing analogue TV antenna may be able to be retro-fitted with some type of inexpensive Conversion Box that can pick-up the new digital signal which can then be picked-up by the owners/tenants own personal set-top-box which they, themselves, own.
Others have advised that all that is needed is a personally-owned set-top-box to receive the digital signal. I would appreciate your comments. – J.L.Baird, via Flat Chat Forum.
ANSWER: Do Owners Corps have to upgrade if their aerials and cabling won’t carry digital signals to all homes? A recent Appeals Court ruling in NSW (which will almost certainly be used as a precedent in interstate cases) said that strata owners corps don’t have to upgrade infrastructure to the latest whizzbang technology to satisfy increased demands by owners.
However, they do have to restore non-functioning parts of common property so they are working again. Your apartment block’s TV cabling falls right in between those two stools. I reckon providing a TV signal to all your units after the analog switch-off means the owners Corp is obliged to upgrade, if need be, to newer technology. But the good news is you certainly don’t need to provide everyone with set-top boxes.
So what does an owners corp do, if they haven’t already prepared for digital? A quick door knock to see if anyone is already on digital would be the first step. If there is someone merrily watching re-runs of ancient sitcoms on digital channels fed by your cabling system, you probably don’t need to do anything.
If not, the digital signal may not be strong enough and your residents could be getting by on analog, where a weak signal only means a degraded reception while digital is pretty much either on or off.
If your current system can’t provide strong enough digital signals you have to do whatever is required to make it work again. That could range from upgrading your aerial, amplifiers and cabling to installing a satellite dish.
The website digitalready.gov.au has THIS PAGE which explores possible issues in multi-unit buildings and suggests how to fix them.
If any owners can’t afford a set-top box or digital-ready TV, the website also has a page explaining financial assistance programs for people in need.
There’s also more on this HERE on the Flat Chat Forum.
FLAT CHAT LIVE: Just a quick reminder to Sydney readers that the live, Q&A style version of Flat Chat is on this weekend November 9, as part of the Strata Community Australia (the strata managers’ industry body) Owners Day. Strata industry experts – confronted, cajoled and corralled by yours truly – will answer your curly questions.
Click HERE or go to the Flat Chat website for more details.
And next weekend (November 9) the Owners Corporation Network (representing strata owners) is holding a day-long seminar about the benefits and challenges of upgrading your common property. Once again, I’m holding the talking stick. Find out more about why it’s not a good idea to have the best unit in the worst block by clicking HERE or HERE .
Both these events are happening in Sydney but if there’s anything going on in your part of the country, wherever you may be, please let us know so we can pass it on. Just register on the Flat Chat Forum and take it from there.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
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