South Africa: Cabinet gets radio spectrum policy

The Department of Communications’ long-awaited policy on the national radio frequency spectrum would be presented to the Cabinet today after it was approved in draft form by a Cabinet committee last week, director-general Mamodupi Mohlala said yesterday.

Outlining the department’s strategic plans for the next three years, Mohlala said the new spectrum policy would require the department to develop measures to improve spectrum usage. It would also be investigating spectrum pricing methodologies and would issue a policy directive for pricing of the commercially competitive spectrum.

She told Parliament’s communications committee that draft legislation for national broadband had also been submitted to the Cabinet and that the department planned to issue the Independent Communications Authority of SA with a directive for the unbundling of the local loop because it had failed to address the matter for years.

A target of next year had been decided for the local loop unbundling. Departmental objectives also included the development of self-sustainability funding models for the SABC and the state-owned carrier of carriers, Sentech, to reduce their reliance on the fiscus. Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda set up a team to develop an appropriate funding model for state-owned enterprises under his watch.

African National Congress MP Johnny de Lange said the department had to provide details of spending plans for each line item so the committee could assess whether or not to reject the budget or to propose amendments in the way funds were allocated to particular programmes.

ensorl@bdfm.co.za

-March 10, 2010 by Linda Ensor

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Source: www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx (accessed on 10.03.10)