The outgoing chairperson of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has asked government to license and regulate online broadcasters via individual social media platforms to address misinformation.
While addressing members at the association’s 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Kampala, Dr. Kin Kariisa said online vloggers are now having commercial advertising and encroaching on media wallets yet they are not paying any tax.
He says some of the content appears as citizen journalism whereas not.
In 2020, government announced the regulation and called on bloggers, and online radios to register before a deadline of October 5, 2020, a process that required an annual Shs100,000 (27 USD) fee.
“The purpose of this Public Notice, therefore, is to advise all persons currently offering or planning to commence the provision of online data communication and broadcasting services including but not limited to blogs, online televisions, online radios, online newspapers, audio over IP (AoIP), Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), Video on Demand (VoD), Digital Audio radios and televisions, internet/web radio and internet/web television, to obtain authorisation from UCC before providing such services to the public.” reads part of the communication from Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)
In her response at the 24th NAB AGM, Ms. Julianne Mweheire, the director for Industry Affairs and Content Development at UCC said that they will have to first regulate the content vloggers put forward in their online broadcasts.
