Icasa’s future
It is having to regulate the increasingly liberalised and competitive broadcasting and tele communications markets as well as beef up its capacity to cope with the imminent implementation of the new Electronic Communications Act.
At this critical juncture, Icasa finds itself in crisis. No sooner have attempts by the communications ministry to take greater control of the supposedly independent regulator been thwarted, than allegations arise that it is plagued by a lack of leadership, incompetence and institutional collapse.
While some of the allegations remain untested, it is certainly true that a large number of managers have left the organisation, that CEO Jackie Manche has been suspended since November and that almost half of the current councillors will be leaving at the end of this month when their terms expire.
It is also true that the competence and authority of chairman Paris Mashile has been brought into question following the leaking of an exit interview by his former secretary. Mashile has vigorously defended himself, but much damage has nevertheless been done.
Clearly, intervention is needed, in part around the image of the organisation, but, far more critically, to ensure that it has the capacity to fulfil its mandate. If Icasa does not have the skills or the funding to perform its increasingly onerous task — and at the moment it does not — the economy and ultimately the country as a whole will suffer.
Our high telecommunications costs have repeatedly been identified as a hurdle to economic growth. It is Icasa’s job to ensure that the rules needed to encourage competition are not only in place, but adhered to.
Parliament has a critical role to play in facilitating this process. The communications committee took some steps towards helping Icasa this week, resolving to have a closer look at the problems ailing the authority. It has also decided to do this “out of the glare of the media”.
That’s all well and good, as long as the review takes place and the public is informed of the outcome. Further, the crisis at Icasa cannot be seen as an opportunity for government to take greater control of the organisation.
There is empirical evidence that the only way a liberalised communications market can work is if the regulator is fiercely independent, which means it is free of influence and able to stand up to government and dominant players. That cannot be allowed to change.
INet-Bridge || Discuss this article
Loading ...