Friday, 26 December 2014

Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Radio and TV firms ordered to apply for new licences


Information, Communication and Technology Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i during a past press briefing. Radio and television broadcasters operating with permits from the Ministry of Information will be required to seek licences from the Communications Authority of Kenya. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 
Information, Communication and Technology Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i during a past press briefing. Radio and television broadcasters operating with permits from the Ministry of Information will be required to seek licences from the Communications Authority of Kenya. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP  
 
By NATION CORRESPONDENT
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In Summary

  • Those operating radios have been given six months to July 2nd 2015 while their Television counterparts have until January 2016 to comply.
  • The regulator is mandated to license all broadcasting service providers in accordance with the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Act, 2013.
Radio and television broadcasters operating with permits from the Ministry of Information will be required to seek licences from the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Those operating radios have been given six months to July 2nd 2015 while their Television counterparts have until January 2016 to comply.
The new requirement was issued by ICT Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i in a Kenya Gazette notice published Wednesday.
“All holders of television broadcasting permits from the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology are granted further one and half year period effective from 2nd January 2014 during which they are deemed to have continued to operate in accordance with their existing permits,” the CS said in the notice dated December 15th.
PUNISHMENT
Holders of radio permits have another two years from 2nd January 2014 to apply to the Communications Authority of Kenya for licensing.
The regulator is mandated to license all broadcasting service providers in accordance with the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Act, 2013.
Section 46 C of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998 prescribes a fine not exceeding Sh1 million or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both for any broadcaster operating without a licence.
Kenya has had several television and radio stations licenced since the airwaves were liberated in the mid nineties.

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