Story by John Nhandara
THE Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill went through the second reading in Senate this Wednesday.
The Bill, which recently sailed through the National Assembly, seeks to align the Broadcasting Services Act with the constitution and also with the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act.
Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere gave his second reading of the bill, citing the clauses and provisions of the bill.
“Clause 3 amends section 2A of the principal Act to provide that the role of the broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe is to regulate and manage the broadcasting service bands for sustenance rather than control broadcasting service bands. The intention is to move away from a perception that the legislation is intended to stifle the freedoms guaranteed by section 61 of the constitution and instead focus on necessary regulation of the airwaves,” Dr Muswere said.
Cognisant of the evolving technological advancements, one of the clauses provides classification for broadcasting services.
“Clause 5 amends section 7(2) of the principal Act, which provides for classes of broadcasting services and systems which may be licensed by the Authority. The amendments have been necessitated by developments in technology, where classification of broadcasting services should be independent of the platform from where the service is delivered or received as developments in technology result in new platforms emerging or existing platforms evolving to deliver broadcasting services, which will require frequent reviews to the classification,” Dr Muswere said.
One of the amendments is to ensure that broadcasting service licensees broadcast in all languages spoken in the area they serve.
“Clause 7 amends section 11(4) of Cause 7 amends section 11(4) of the principal Act by ensuring that broadcasting vice licensees broadcast in all languages spoken in the area they serve.
“This promotes the use of officially recognised languages identified in the constitution. The amendment in section 11(5) is to exempt licensees whose services emanate from outside the country from the requirement of allocating to the Government an hour weekly to explain government policies, free of charge to the nation, Clause 11(7) is amended to make sure that if anyone fails to operate within 18 months, the licence is automatically deemed invalid as this makes it easier administratively for the Authority to advertise since spectrum becomes automatically available.
“The bill also introduces a new provision requiring vehicle owners to hold a valid ZBC radio licence or an exemption certificate before obtaining a ZINARA vehicle licence or motor insurance policy,” Minister Muswere said.
The Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill is now open for debate in Senate next week.
