Some of the members of the NAB may for the first time have to contribute to the Univeral Service Fund (USF) and although the NAB understands that the Act prescribes the manner in which the USF will be administered and the purposes of the USF, the NAB would nevertheless like to highlight the some important issues.

The NAB welcomes SAARF’s decision to hold the hearings. We believe SAARF’s willingness to open itself up to public scrutiny is a positive move which will hopefully assist in strengthening the credibility of SAARF among its stakeholders. We believe the results of the hearings should be fed into government’s process on the transformation of the advertising industry. We encourage SAARF to participate fully in this government process.

The NAB supports government’s intention to promote media development and diversity. The NAB hopes that this intervention will facilitate the support of existing community radio stations and that it will enable the promotion and establishment of further stations. We have some brief comments and recommendations to make on the MDDA Bill.

The NAB stated that it wished to contribute to the Parliamentary process of the enactment of the Telecommunications Amendment Bill by placing its concerns regarding a number of provisions or omissions in the Bill in so far as they pertain directly or indirectly to broadcasting.

As a major stakeholder in the broadcasting and production industry, the NAB has considered the debates undertaken during the recent National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) Indaba. The NAB would like to commend the NFVF for taking the initiative to hold the Indaba and consult the broader industry on future strategies for growing the local production industry.

The NAB focused on broadcasters’ commitment to local content, what ese should be done in addition to a quota and whether there are sufficient reasons for raising the quotas

As a result of convergence, NAB members are already, and will continue to be, profoundly affected by telecommunications policy. It was with this in mind that the NAB responded to the Minister’s Telecomunications Directions

Although community radio has led the way in opening up South African airwaves, the sector has been beset by troubles. The difficulties in becoming financially sustainable have been compounded by the regulator’s resource constraints

In preparation for the World Summit on Children’s Broadcasting a report outlining BCCSA judgments on children’s issues was prepared

The NAB stated its support for initiatives to promote development and diversity in broadcasting but outlined some concerns with government’s draft position paper