Monthly fees paid by TV and Radio will after four years be reviewed with the hope of improving broadcasting services across the country.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) stated that the fees are to be reviewed in consideration of the new technological advancements in Broadcast Signal Distribution (BSD).
“The overall scope of this project is to assess competition in the broadcasting sub-sector and review the pricing and access framework applicable to all broadcasters (content providers)” the regulator said in a disclosure.
Another major reason for the fee review move by the Authority is to create fair ground to enable healthy competition among stakeholders.
“Review of the competition in the broadcasting sub-sector and the BSD pricing framework is key in enhancing fair and healthy competition in the broadcasting sub-sector with a view to maximizing the efficiency of the market,” CA said.
According to CA, the monthly distribution fees are set at Ksh93,411 per month maximum for each site per megabit per second (Mbit/s) in Nairobi, Ksh39,074 to other cities and towns, and Ksh34,352 to rural areas.
Previously in 2016, the rates were set at Ksh89,545 for distribution within the Nairobi metropolitan region, indicating a decrease of 29 per cent down from Ksh125, 990.
The review is expected to lower the BSD costs as the innovative technologies allow broadcasters to compete fairly and improve the quality of services offered to citizens.
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