APPLICATIONS from 86 online content providers have been submitted to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) for registration, out of which one has been approved so far in compliance with regulations covering online content under the Electronic and Postal Communications Act (EPOCA), 2010.
Dr Mwakyembe made the explanation as he was winding up the budget proposals speech for his ministry for the financial year 2018/2019. The House eventually endorsed the 33.3bn/- the ministry had requested for recurrent and development expenditure. “I have just been informed by responsible authorities that 86 applications have been lodged but only one has been endorsed so far.
The others are being guided on the required criteria for registration,” Dr Mwakyembe explained. Through EPOCA and subsequent regulations for online content, bloggers and other users of social media forums are required to register at TCRA where they are also required to pay a registration fee of just 100,000/- while traditional television operators pay up US 5,000 dollars (about 11m/-) per annum.
Dr Mwakyembe pointed to the fact that social media platforms were emerging as crucial players in the media industry, with projections of overtaking the traditional media outlets in Tanzania and elsewhere in the world. Social media platforms are emerging as an important tool of communication;
in three years to come these forums are mostly likely to overtake traditional media outlets such as newspapers as well as radio and television stations. “Registration of the platforms is aimed at formalising them as media outlets.
Most of them are currently operating without adhering to ethics and codes of journalism and they do not pay taxes much as they compete with established conventional media and this is not fair,” the minister remarkedDr Mwakyembe said the regulations were also crucial to tame fake news circulated in some of the social media forums, noting further that many people now resorted to the platforms such as blogs and twitter, making the introduction of control mechanisms imperative. “
Some countries have been on the verge of waging wars because of fake news relayed on the social media. About 75 per cent of countries in the world are taking similar measures to check content on the platforms,” the minister remarked.
“Even developed countries including the United States of America, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and India have put in place similar measures. We have an obligation to protect our people from negative content on the platforms,” he added. Dr Mwakyembe explained on the other hand that even practitioners in the forums had been longing for formal recognition as journalists since most of them are not even accredited to be issued with press cards like other journalists.
The communication industry regulator has opened registration process for blogs, online television stations, online radio and other online forums. TCRA said applicants were required to provide documents, including details of shareholders, share capital, citizenship of owners, a tax clearance certificate and staff qualification and training programmes.
Bloggers convicted of failure to comply with the new rules could face a fine of at least 5m/- or a prison sentence of a minimum of 12 months or both, according to the new regulations. The number of internet users in Tanzania rose by 16 per cent in 2017 to 23 million, with the majority of those using their mobile phones to go online in the nation of around 52 million people.
Meanwhile, Dr Mwakyembe urged media practitioners in the country to work jointly with the government to initiate a process of establishing an independent media council and a board for accreditation of media personnel as per regulations for enforcement of the Media Services Act, 2016. The minister explained that regulations for the Media Services Act had been formulated and gazetted for use since February, last year.
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