ICASA publishes Community Broadcasting Services Regulations, 2019
On 22 March 2019, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) published the Community Broadcasting Services Regulations, 2019 (the Regulations).
As set out in regulation 3, the purpose of the Regulations is to prescribe the following:
- The framework under which community broadcasting licensees will operate;
- The registration, renewal, transfer and amendment process of community broadcasting licences;
- The governance and management structure of a community broadcasting licensee; and
- The basic principles of community participation.
In respect of the last-mentioned – community participation – regulation 13 provides that a licensee must ensure that ownership of the community broadcasting licensee remains with the community served. Furthermore, a licensee must involve the community members in the management of the community broadcasting licensee, and the licensee must establish programming committees to enable the community members to participate in the selection and provision of programming. Such programming committees must be representative of the different interest groups within the community served, such as youth, women or people with disabilities.
The Regulations are accessible here.
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