Act to be changed for Infraco

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

Cape Town, 10 Sept 2007

Last week, Cabinet approved the Electronic Communications (EC) Act be amended to speed up the licensing of government's new broadband infrastructure company, Infraco.

Such an amendment became apparent during the public hearings into the Infraco Bill, the law that will govern the new state-owned entity, by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises. At that time, it was realised the current licensing procedure would be too lengthy and cumbersome.

However, the speed with which Cabinet approved the proposed amendment took many by surprise.

Parliamentary Portfolio Communications Committee (the parliamentary committee that is responsible for the EC Act) chairman Godfrey Oliphant wrote a letter to Cabinet on 26 August requesting approval to make the amendment. He received the nod last week Wednesday, 5 September.

Oliphant proposed the changes to the EC Act only enable government strategic infrastructure investment and does not mention Infraco by name.

Government spokesman Themba Maseko says the urgency to meet the 2010 Soccer World Cup broadcasting requirements made the establishment of Infraco a matter of urgency.

"We need to have Infraco up and running before then," Maseko says.

A senior Department of Communications official says the draft EC Act amendments should be in the Government Gazette early this week, but no specific date could be given.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises is scheduled to meet on 14 September to vote on the final draft of the Infraco Bill. The legislation should go to the National Assembly around 20 September.

No timeframe has yet been given for when the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications will debate the EC Act amendment. This committee is still busy with the SABC board hearings and it also has to begin interviewing councillor candidates for the Independent Communications Authority of SA.