Broadcasting
ICASA is the official regulator of the South African broadcasting, telecommunications and postal services sectors.
We develop regulations for the broadcasting industry, issue licences to service providers, plan and manage the radio frequency spectrum, and protect consumers against poor-quality services.
We are also mandated to receive complaints from the public about poor services provided by broadcasting licensees. We facilitate the resolution of these complaints or refer them to the Complaint and Compliance Committee.
In terms of the South African Constitution, Parliament had to establish an independent regulatory institution, now known as ICASA, which has to provide for the regulation of broadcasting in the public interest and to ensure fairness and a diversity of views broadly representing South African society.
The Broadcasting Act 4 of 1999 clarifies the powers of the minister and ICASA respectively and provides for the regulation of broadcasting activities in the public interest.
The Electronic Communications Act, No 36 of 2005, as amended, promotes convergence in the broadcasting, broadcasting signal distribution and telecommunications sectors and provides the legal framework for convergence of these sectors.
View broadcasting legislations
View the broadcasting act
Election broadcast period and Party Election Broadcast (PEB) slots - 2019 national and provincial elections
The Authority published in the government gazette the Regulations on Party Election Broadcasts, Political Advertisements and the Equitable treatment of Political Parties by Broadcasting Service Licensees on 25 February 2019. The Authority further made slight amendments to the Regulations on 02 April 2019 to allow equitable airtime to be allocated to political parties.
These Regulations came into being subsequent to the Authority’s extensive consultation and workshops held with Political Parties and broadcasting service licensees across the country. All contributions were considered in developing the final regulations that will govern fair and equitable coverage of the May 8, 2019 elections by licensed broadcasters.
Regulation 5 of the Party Elections Broadcasts and Political Advertisements Regulations provides for the allocation of PEB slots to registered political parties contesting the national and provincial elections on the basis of the respective principles set out in Annexure A of the said Regulations. ICASA received the list of contesting political parties from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)on the 2nd April 2019. Subsequently, the Authority held a session to allocate PEB slots to listed political on the 4th April 2019.
Click HERE to access the 2019 National and Provincial PEB Schedule for TV & Radio