Communications minister Roy Padayachie has re-appointed Marcia Socikwa as ICASA councillor. Her re-appointment was effective from 1 April.
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) yesterday said it welcomes Socikwa's appointment for a further four years.
Socikwa was responsible for, among other tasks, the auctioning of spectrum in the 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz frequency bands. The authority surprised the industry by canning the initial auction in favour of a more consultative process, which would be guided by a specialist spectrum auctioneer.
ICASA came under fire for the decision, as many felt the authority and the Department of Communications had succumbed to lobbying by the incumbents to keep out the smaller players.
One in 100
ICASA called for nominations to fill the councillor position in October last year, as Socikwa's four-year term was to end in March 2011.
The communications regulator had specified that persons considering the position must be committed to fairness, freedom of expression, openness and accountability. They must also possess suitable qualifications, expertise and experience in the fields of, among others: broadcasting, electronic communications and postal policy or operations, public policy development, electronic engineering, and law.
Nominations for the position closed on 18 October.
ICASA spokesperson Paseka Maleka says almost 100 people were nominated for the position, but Parliament's decision was to reinstate Socikwa.
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