A Telecommunications Agency is to be established under the amended Telecommunications legislation to function, in part, as an advisory body, reviewer of licence applications and regulator of the use of the spectrum.
According to the 102-page Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2016, which has been uploaded to the website of the Official Gazette for public viewing, the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) would be incorporated into the new agency, which will function under the subject minister’s supervision.
The bill, now in the name of Minister of Public Telecommunications Cathy Hughes, appears to be the same that was tabled twice before under successive PPP/C-led administrations. The bill had been delayed for years at the select committee in previous Parliaments as the then