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Government to present converged Communications Bill
MISA-Zimbabwe
July 31, 2006

A Bill which seeks to establish the Converged National Information and Communication Technologies Regulator to facilitate implementation of Zimbabwe’s ICT policy will be tabled during the country’s Second Session of the Sixth Parliament.

President Robert Mugabe told parliament during the opening of the Second Session on 26 July 2006 that the government would also through the Ministry of Transport and Communications table a Bill providing for the establishment of the National Information and Communication Technology Authority.

In his address, Mugabe noted that the critical role of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a catalyst for economic development continued to grow.

"Our challenge is to embark on full scale implementation of the ICT policy and strategies to translate this potential into actual national competitive advantage," he said.

MISA-Zimbabwe has been advocating for the singular regulation of the telecommunications and broadcasting sector through the establishment of an independent communications authority. This will entail reviewing and reforming the laws that govern telecommunications in the country, with the intention of creating a single regulatory authority for broadcasting and telecommunications.

This cannot be undertaken in isolation of the review of the laws that currently underpin the telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe. The laws in question are the Postal and Telecommunications Act (PTA), Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings Act and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Act.

MISA Zimbabwe, therefore, recommends that the Ministry of Information and Publicity in conjunction with the Ministry of Science and Technology, should also review the situation regarding access to information in Zimbabwe based on legislations such as Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) which pose serious impediments for ordinary citizens to access information from government departments.

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