MEO ordered to correct situation of non-compliance in relation to DTT
As part of its work to provide constant monitoring of the quality of digital terrestrial television (DTT) signal reception, ANACOM detected a situation of non-availability in the reception of the terrestrial DTT signal between 2 October 2015 and 2 February 2016, falling short of the requirements which were established in the Right of Use of Frequencies subsequent to ANACOM’s determinations of 16 May 2013 and 01 October 2015. This situation, detected by a fixed probe installed in the Parish of Fornos (Municipality of Castelo de Paiva) with geographic coordinates WGS84 41º 03' 17,13" N 08º 15' 27,12" W, affected coverage provided to the population in the municipality Castelo de Paiva. MEO - Serviços de Comunicações e Multimédia, S.A. (MEO) is bound to provide terrestrial coverage to a specified percentage of this population with the distribution which stems from the shapefile sent to ANACOM in annex to the letter of 10 September 2015.
It was also found that, at four locations in this municipality, the transmitters which provide best reception conditions of the terrestrial service (best servers) were not as indicated by MEO on the DTT website.
MEO was notified of the situation detected by ANACOM and was informed as to the obligations which ANACOM considered unfulfilled in terms of coverage and quality of DTT signal reception and in terms of the execution of user support measures. The operator was notified, under the terms of ANACOM’s determination of 1 October 2015, as follows: (i) to respond to the facts reported to it, informing ANACOM as to the solution which it will implement to remedy the situation; (ii) to present a proposal for the proper provision of information to potentially affected end-users; and (iii) to indicate the maximum period required to remedy the situation and inform users.
MEO's response was received and examined, and, out of the proposals advanced, the proposal which satisfied the conditions laid down in the determination of 1 October 2015 was accepted.
Accordingly, by determination of 11 November 2016 and under the applicable legal provisions, MEO was ordered, within a period not exceeding 60 working days, to undertake installation of a transmitter to remedy the problems of coverage detected by ANACOM. Likewise, MEO was ordered to execute the communication plan which it had proposed, specifically with the inclusion of an announcement on the DTT website about the entry into operation of the new transmitter and with an update to the list of transmitters.
It was further determined that, without any new inaccuracies in the indication of best servers and within 5 working days following entry into operation of the transmitter in question, MEO must correct the information given on the DTT website as to the transmitters providing best conditions for reception of the terrestrial service in the locations where it was found that such information was inaccurate. Likewise, MEO is required to update the information in all locations where the new transmitter will become the best server.
