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The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies will present its proposal to extend payment of TV license fees to include streaming services to parliament on Wednesday (November 25).
the proposal it is included in the department’s white paper on the Audiovisual and Audio Content Services Policy Framework, which is currently open for public comment.
In terms of the Broadcasting Law, the public must pay a television license fee to view “broadcasting services” which includes subscription services like DSTV. The purchase of a television, regardless of whether the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is seen on it or not, requires the payment of a license fee for any “broadcasting service”.
In the “traditional” sense, a “streaming service” is limited to content that is viewed on a television.
Given the emergence of streaming services such as Netflix, Apple +, Showmax, Amazon Prime, and others, the White Paper expands the definition of “streaming service” to include online streaming services.
By implication, that would require paying a license fee to view any “streaming service” that would include streaming services, regardless of what device it is viewed on.
Opposition
The Democratic Alliance said it is “unequivocally opposed” to any effort that requires additional payment of television license fees.
“The public has already had to suffer the consequences of billions of dollars in ransoms SABC has received through the public purse,” said the opposition party.
“The SABC must find creative ways to self-sustain and break even without requiring the public to spend more money.”
The district attorney said the SABC has agreed to take notice of the public outcry about the proposed license fee and will make its own presentation to the department regarding the proposal.
“We are confident that he will come up with a plan that will mean that the public broadcaster will stay afloat and balance itself without bailouts or without making the public pay even more money to maintain it.”
Some of the other concerns that the party has highlighted in the draft framework include:
- A Code of Conduct for streaming services, with disciplinary measures if not followed. Since most of the transmissions are international companies and not on South African soil, this is a cake in the sky and unfeasible. This could put the government on a collision course with transmission services and litigation sterile harvest will not win, which would generate more costs spenders.
- The establishment of a team that could blacklist, block, require banks to stop the transfers of payments from subscribers of international transmission services. This Chinese-style “censorship office” constitutes a clear violation of the right of all South Africans to a free flow of information and would not meet the constitutional standard of government limitation of this right.
South Africans until November 30 to submit comments on the proposals. The comment can be emailed to [email protected], or in writing to:
The Acting Director General, Department of Communications and Digital Technologies
Block A3, IParioll Office Park, 1166 Park Street, Hatfield, Pretoria
Private bag X860, Pretoria, 0001
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