MISA Zimbabwe this afternoon handed in submissions on the 4th draft of the Postal and Telecommunications Bill. This was in response to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) Call for submissions which was gazetted via Regulatory Circular No 1 of 2018: Review of the Postal and Telecommunications Act.
The circular states that the rapid evolution of technology and services has created regulatory gaps in the existing Postal and Telecommunications Act (Chapter 12:05) and has resulted in the need to come up with a Bill to repeal the Act which was promulgated in 2000.
It is against this background, that POTRAZ in consultation with the Ministry of ICTs and Cybersecurity are reviewing the Act.
MISA-Zimbabwe’s submissions on the above-mentioned Bill are under the following sections:
- Section 27 as read with section 3(d) restrict investments in the Zimbabwe telecommunications sector to Zimbabwean citizens who are ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe.
- Appointment process of POTRAZ Board members affects the Board’s independence.
- Excessive Data collection and retention provisions without adequate data protection laws.
- Provision of loans guarantees to POTRAZ employee spouses is contrary to good governance principles.
To read further:
Postal and Telecommunications Bill (4th draft)- September 2017
