• The Independent Communication Authority of South Africa has been issued a number of directions by the minister of communications and digital technologies, Mondli Gungubele.
• These include consulting with stakeholders regarding how the public is informed and determining what constitutes critical infrastructure.
• These directions come after Icasa conducted a virtual consultation with stakeholders this week.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that government is dragging its feet as regards the National State of Disaster that was declared on 9th February to address the energy crisis. Government has been moving incredibly slowly in that regard with the regulations only being published 18 days after the State of Disaster was declared.

The latest development sees minister of communications and digital technologies, Mondli Gungubele, issuing directions to the the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa).

“The purpose of these Directions is to ensure that measures are taken in respect of the communications and digital technologies sector to effectively deal with the effects of the national state of disaster and where applicable prevent the escalation of the electricity supply constraints,” wrote Gungubele.

The directions include a requirements for electronic communications service and electronic communications network service licensees that are mobile network operators and broadcasting service licensees (we’ll refer to this collective as stakeholders from here on out). These stakeholders would be required to issue public service announcements about the National State of Disaster at no cost to the user. These announcements must be issued after consultation with the Government Communications and Information System.

Icasa must also consult with stakeholders as regards what they view as critical electronic communications and broadcasting infrastructure. This information must be made available to Gungubele so that he inform the relevant cabinet minister as regards exemptions from loadshedding or at the very least, reduced loadshedding.

Furthermore, the authority needs to speak with stakeholders to find out which regulatory obligations need to be relaxed in order for them to meet the requirements of the guidelines set out for the National State of Disaster.

As per the notice embedded below, the authority should be guided by:

• a consideration of the degree to which compliance with regulatory obligations by licensees is dependent upon access to a consistent electricity supply;
• measures necessary to effectively deal with the direct or indirect effects of the disaster; or
• measures necessary to assist in preventing the escalation of the electricity supply constraints or in reducing its impact.

Once this process is complete, the authority should make recommendations to the minister on any further actions which are required.

To that end, Icasa conducted a virtual consultation with stakeholders this week.

Among the topics of discussion were how stakeholders could implement pro-consumer measures such as lowering the cost to communicate during the National State of Disaster. The outcomes of that consultation are yet to be disclosed but it’s good to see Icasa taking initiative, even as government drags its feet.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]