Convergence Bill approved

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

Cape Town, 28 Oct 2005

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) amendment Bill and the Convergence Bill were approved by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications last night, paving the way for a full debate on the legislation on 3 November.

The multi-party committee approved the Convergence Bill, and renamed it the Electronic Communications Bill, with no objections from any of the political parties that make up the committee - the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Inkhata Freedom Party.

However, Dene Smuts, the DA MP on the committee, abstained from voting on chapter four of the Bill (communications networks and communications facilities), because of the lack of compensation for property owners should communications licence-holders need to damage property in order to lay infrastructure.

"This Bill gives us all something we can work with," Smuts said at the conclusion of the committee hearing.

Portfolio committee chairperson, Mpetjane Lekgoro (ANC), praised the Department of Communications, industry, the political parties and others who had contributed towards the Electronic Communications Bill.

The finalisation of the Electronic Convergence Bill concludes a process that started almost four years ago when the former communications director-general Andile Ngcaba called a convergence colloquium.

The main aim was to create legislation that could deal with the convergence of various technology that blurred the traditional lines between broadcasting, telecommunications and IT.

Parliamentary public hearings began four months ago and the committee received 44 submissions from industry, government and civil society, and listened to 27 presentations.

The word "convergence" was dropped from the Bill as it was not defined and the DA`s Smuts said it was a concept "that happened and could not be legislated". The legislation`s new title was suggested by Department of Communications director-general Lyndall Shope-Mafole.

Following the debate in the main house of Parliament next week, the ICASA amendment Bill and the Electronic Communications Bill will go before the National Council of Provinces before being sent to President Thabo Mbeki to sign it into law.