Icasa refutes NCRF's claims, calls for collaboration

Image credit: Rayan Almuslem on Unsplash.

In a statement, Icasa said that it has no intentions of shutting down any validly operating community broadcasting service licensees. Adding that its mandate is to ensure compliance by all licensees (including community broadcasting service licensees) with all applicable laws, regulations as well as licence terms and conditions.

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Ensuring compliance

Icasa has identified approximately 29 community radio stations that do not possess the required broadcasting licences to operate as community radio stations. In terms of section 7 of the Electronic Communications Act No. 36 of 2005 (the ECA) it is prohibited (and therefore unlawful) for any person to provide (or operate) a broadcasting service without a licence.

“Whilst Icasa appreciates and supports the critical role that the community radio sector plays in promoting social cohesion, fostering diversity and uplifting or empowering our communities; Icasa will neither promote nor allow illegal broadcasting and illegal use of the radio frequency spectrum.

“It is for this reason that the closing down of any community radio station or any other licensee becomes a step that is taken as an absolute last resort, after repeated instances of non-compliance and repeated attempts on the side of the authority to get the licensees to remedy same,” says Icasa CEO Willington Ngwepe.

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Calling for collaboration

Icasa has called on the NCRF to collaborate with the regulator to assist the community broadcasting sector to comply with the requirements of the law and the regulations. “Such collaboration is essential to ensure the sustainability of the sector so that it can fulfil its critical mandate in society,” adds Ngwepe.

Icasa conducted – through a consultation process – a review of the regulatory framework for community broadcasting services. The new Community Broadcasting Service Regulations were published on 22 March 2019.

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Icasa announced the lifting of the moratorium on the licensing of community sound broadcasting services on 30 July 2019 and undertook to publish an invitation for prospective applicants to submit pre-registration notices within three months.

The invitation will include a list of available frequencies in each district and local municipality as per the Terrestrial Broadcasting Frequency Plan 2013. The three months’ deadline expires on 31 October 2019.

In order to ensure that the community radio sector is adequately informed of the requirements of the new licensing framework as well as implementation of the new regulations, Icasa is conducting workshops across the country.

The first workshop was held on Friday, 18 October 2019 at Icasa Head Office in Centurion, and there will be further workshops to be held in other provinces over the coming weeks.

We are currently conducting a workshop on the 2019 Community Broadcasting Services Regulations. Today's workshop is for Gauteng stakeholders. We will be going to other provinces to ensure that community broadcasters understand and adhere to the regulations https://t.co/Id97amXZAj pic.twitter.com/UHJTcDvIfH

— ICASA (@ICASA_org) October 18, 2019

For more information, go to the Icasa website.