The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) will next week hold public hearings on regulations governing the provision of communications services for people with disabilities.
The hearings will take place at ICASA's Sandton offices.
The public hearings are the final stage for ICASA to develop regulations for the "Code on People with Disabilities" governing the telecommunications and broadcasting industries and the South African Post Office.
The regulations aim to make communication and broadcast services more accessible to people with disabilities.
The programme for the hearings includes MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, Telkom Media, MultiChoice, Sentech and the South African Broadcasting Corporation and Disabled People of SA.
As a prelude to the hearings, ICASA is holding a series of workshops in East London, Bloemfontein, Polokwane and Durban this week, says ICASA spokesman Sekgoela Sekgoela.
The aim of the workshops is to source input from disability-related organisations that are unable to take part in the hearings, he says. This will ensure their views are taken into consideration when finalising the regulations, he adds.
ICASA published the "Draft Regulations on People with Disabilities" in June. These are based on a "Code of Good Practice on People with Disabilities" that was published in March last year. Sekgoela says the regulator expects to gazette the final regulations by the end of the year.
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ICASA releases disability codes
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