Malawi: Industry meets to review Communications Act

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) on July 19 brought together media managers and the parliamentary committee on Media and Communications to review the country’s Communications Act. The current act, which was enacted in 1998, has several shortcomings and fails to address emerging innovations and communication tools such as the Internet.

Speaking at a Communications Act review workshop in Mangochi, MACRA’s Director General Charles Nsaliwa said the regulatory body is doing everything possible to ensure that the country’s penetration rates of Information Communications Technology (ICT) increases. For his part, Information Minister Leckford Thotho, said the revised Communications Act brings on board new ICT products and services that came into operation after the current Act was enacted in 1998. The review of the act comes after years of efforts by MISA Malawi, the media and other commentators who argued that several clauses are not media friendly.

Among other contentious issues in the Act is the definition of a public broadcaster. Commentators in the country, including leaders of various political parties and MISA Malawi, have raised concern over monopoly by the ruling party of the state-owned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) radio and television. They are campaigning to have the state broadcasters turned into public broadcasters.

- August 09, 2010 by MISA Malawi

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Source: www.misa.org  (received via email alert on 09.08.2010)