NAB makes submission on Telecomms Amendment Bill

Among the issues raised by the NAB was the need for holistic legislation for the communications sector which ensures and promotes economic growth and development, encourages investment and innovation and promotes the development of communication services which are responsive to the needs of users and consumers.

The NAB also raised concerns about provisions that appeared to undermine ICASA's regulatory functions and the allocation of a multimedia licence to Sentech. The NAB stated that in its view, the licensing of multimedia services should not be legislated in a piece of legislation relating exclusively to telecommunications or broadcasting.

The NAB also requested clarity as to whether Sentech would be licensed to serve as a multimedia services signal carrier only or whether it would also be able to provide content for multimedia services such as television or radio through the internet.