[Business Daily] The Communications Commission has narrowed its list of idle frequencies to 35 down from the 150 it had threatened to cancel two weeks ago.
It also appeared to soften its stand on a June 30 deadline, announcing on Wednesday that it was talking to the licensees-- 15 of whom got their licences this year while 20 received them last year-- to determine why they were not making use of the permits.
Commitment needed"We are establishing what levels of investment are involved," said the director general, Mr Charles Njoroge, adding, "Going forward, if a broadcaster does not use a licence then we shall immediately act to revoke it."
The commission had announced a bold plan to revoke inactive frequencies earlier this year, initially indicating that it hoped to retrieve nearly 150 radio and television licences potentially freeing them for new investors who have been hampered by the lack of frequencies in the market.
The 35 licences currently being reviewed shall either be shut down once the CCK finalises its investigations or the licensees will be asked to renew them alongside a show of commitment to develop the frequency.
In most instances, this will entail a clear illustration that they are able to undertake the necessary monetary investment.
A gridlock of unused licences has locked potential investors out of the growing media industry market and contributed to diminished economic growth despite the potential of the sector.
CCK estimates that one activated radio frequency has the potential to create 50 jobs while a television frequency can create up to 200 jobs.
There have also been serious ramifications for existing broadcasters who want to expand their regional reach but are unable to do so due to lack of frequencies.
According to the Information ministry, some idle frequencies are being hawked by their owners to interested investors at exorbitant prices, driving up the cost of entry into the market.
In seeking to streamline the broadcasting industry, CCK is acting under a new raft of guidelines introduced following the signing of the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act, 2008.
Under the new act, all licences in the broadcast industry will be renewed on an annual basis in order to allow the regulator to more closely monitor whether the frequencies are in active use.
Mr Njoroge indicated that a 2012 deadline for the country to switch to digital broadcasting was still in place, with testing for digital broadcasts expected to start by December this year.
Digital broadcasting"We expect simulcasts in digital broadcasts to start by the end of the year. We have set aside an initial Sh152 million to facilitate this process, in what we hope will be a public-private partnership in order to meet the deadline," said Mr Njoroge.
Kenya will join other countries around the world in making a switch from the current analog broadcast standard in use by local television stations to a fully digitised system by a global deadline of 2015.
The shift will mean consumers will benefit from a wider variety of television and radio programming.
Digital broadcasting is expected to improve the quality of broadcasts, but to benefit, consumers will have to switch to digitally enabled television and radio sets.
The industry regulator is currently celebrating its tenth year of existence during which time it has been responsible for monitoring the growth of the liberalised telecommunications and postal sectors which now contribute 2.5 per cent of the country's GDP.
Kenya: CCK Now Softens Stance On Idle Frequencies
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