Authority To Revoke FM Frequencies, Cancel Broadcast Licence Offers And Applications Of 128 Non-Compliant Broadcasters

By Cyber Era NG Special Correspondent

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) will revoke assigned FM frequencies, cancel broadcast licences offers and licence applications of 128 broadcasters for failure to comply with the regulatory requirements.

The revocation targets various categories of broadcasters and applicants under the current market structure, who, despite several reminders, have failed to meet the requirements of the Act and associated regulations.

The affected broadcasters and applicants are in the following categories:

• Four (4) holders of broadcasting permits and 18 broadcasters assigned FM radio broadcast frequencies who have failed to apply for broadcasting licences under the Act
• 24 applicants, assigned FM broadcasting frequencies, who upon application for  commercial and community radio broadcasting service licences  have failed to comply with various licensing requirements.
• 60 applicants for radio broadcasting licences,  19 applicants for Commercial Free-to-Air (FTA) Television broadcasting licences and three (3) applicants for the Subscription Broadcasting Service licences whose applications had been progressed to the licence offer stage but the applicants have failed to  comply with the licence offer conditions within the licence offer period.

The affected broadcasters and applicants have thirty (30) days within which to fully comply, failure to which the assigned FM frequencies shall be repossessed and licence offers and pending applications summarily cancelled without further reference to them.

‘‘Frequency spectrum is a scarce public resource that must be utilized efficiently by all users. The Authority has a duty to plan and allocate this scare resource for various services that benefit consumers across various sectors,’’ said the CA Director-General, Ezra Chiloba.