the objectives of the bill is
(a) provide for television and sound program services;
(b) provide for types of broadcasting licences;
(c) provide for licensing terms and conditions;
(d) provide for content and scheduling of programs and advertising; and
(e) provide for other matters incidental to broadcasting.
The Bill which has been approved by the Government has seen the establishment of the Eswatini Communication Commission which has assumed the responsibilities of regulating broadcasting in the kingdom. ESCCOM's Broadcasting Responsibilities
The Commission's function in relation to Broadcasting will be as follows:
Establish a strong and committed public broadcasting service which will service the needs of all Swazi society;
Ensure that the commercial and community licenses viewed collectively, are controlled by persons or groups of persons from a diverse range of communities in Eswatini;
Ensure that broadcasting services are effectively controlled by Swazis
Integrate multi-channel distribution systems into the broadcasting framework
Provide access to signal distribution services for content providers
Provide access to signal distribution services for broadcast content receivers;
Encourage the development of local programming content
development of society , gender equality, nation building, provision of education and strengthening the spiritual and moral fibre of society
safeguard, enrich and strengthen the cultural, social and economic fabric of Eswatini;
Encourage ownership and control of broadcasting services through participation by persons from historically disadvantaged groups
Ensure plurality of news, views and information and provide a wide range of entertainment and education programmes
Cater for a broad range of services and specifically for the programming needs in respect of children, women, the youth and the disabled
Encourage the development of human resources and training, and capacity building within the broadcasting sector especially amongst historically disadvantaged persons
Encourage investment in the broadcasting sector
Ensure fair competition in the broadcasting sector
Ensure efficient use of broadcasting frequency spectrum
Provide for a three tier system of public, commercial and community broadcasting services
Provide a clear allocation of roles and assignment of tasks between policy formulation, regulations and service provision as well as articulation of long-term and intermediate-term goals
| Name of partner | Type of entity |
|---|---|
THE ESWATINI COMMUNICATION COMMISSION
| Public Sector
|