TV satellite dish firm claims harassment

Press, 24 September 1983, Page 6

TV satellite dish firm claims harassment

PA Nelson The Motueka company which markets dish aerials for the reception of television via satellite has lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman’s office over what it alleges is harassment by the Post Office. Messrs Gary Watson and Richard Williams, trading as Satellite Television Systems, say their life savings, which they have committed to their business, have been put in jeopardy by efforts by the Post Office to discourage the aerials. The two are marketing a $6OOO electronic receiving unit which can be used with the dishes made of timber or fibreglass and which is capable of picking up clear pictures via satellite from the United States and Australia.

The Director-General of the Post Office, Mr F. K. Mclnerney, in July threatened the pair with prosecution if they proceeded with public demonstrations of the aerial.

An aerial made by the company has been demonstrated in several centres in the North Island and is now in Taupo, but so far the Post Office has not begun

any legal proceedings. Mr Watson said he had outlined the background of the dispute to the Ombudsman and set out the reasons why he believed the aerial systems did not breach the law. He compared it with listening to shortwave radio, where some transmissions were intended for the public and others were noL A similar situation could occur with FM radio, which could receive private radio telephone transmissions.

The Motueka men say that some of the satellite programmes are clearly public broadcasts, and they have letters of permission to receive some of these. A recent letter from the National Christian Network authorised the reception and retransmission of any of its programmes. Christian Network broadcasts 24 hours a day with religious and family programmes. Mr Watson contends that even if a person receives television signals not intended to be a public broadcast he is not committing any offence provided he does not divulge anything about them to a third party. Satellite Television Systems has taken several

other steps to clarify the law over dish aerials.

The company has written to the Postmaster-General, Mr Talbot, asking for information about a bill which it believes he plans to introduce in Parliament involving the aerials. It has also applied under the Official Information Act for information that the Post Office has on satellite television reception. The company is lodging a complaint over what it claims is an incorrect assessment of duty by the Customs Department on the electronic components it is importing. It says customs has charged 65 per cent duty when an assessment of the components by the D.S.I.R. makes it clear that the duty should be lower. The company is writing to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Shearer, pointing out the barriers the Government has been creating for the new company. The company’s representative demonstrating the aerial in the North Island faced a further threat from the Post Office. Mr Jon Clarke, of Blenheim, was told by the Post Office district engineer in Palmerston North, Mr Gor-

don Riley, that his equipment could be confiscated.

In a letter to Mr Clarke, Mr Riley outlined the legal situation and said it was illegal for him to receive transmissions from a fixed station.

“The legal position hinges on the fact that there are international satellite regulations which have been agreed to. An Intelsat treaty signed by New Zealand and 53 other governments banned unauthorised, reception. The Post Office, as the sole entity authorised to provide international telecommunications, was obliged to ensure Intelsat criteria for Earth stations using space segments (satellites) had been met,” Mr Riley said. All television items passing through the system had owners who were “entitled to proper protection and security for their property,” Mr Riley said.

Mr Clarke went ahead with the demonstration and has since demonstrated the system in Rotorua and Taupo. He telephoned Motueka recently and told Mr Watson there had been no further problems with the Post Office.