Regulatory authorities in South Africa’s communications, media and technology sectors have banded together to create the Information, Communication Technologies and Media Regulators Forum (ICTMRF) of South Africa.

The move is designed to keep the regulators abreast of the tech changes sweeping through society.

The forum consists of the Film and Publications Board, Icasa, the Information Regulator and the ZA Domain Name Authority.

Speaking at a launch event in Pretoria on Thursday, Icasa CEO Tshiamo Maluleka-Disemelo said establishing closer coordination across the regulatory landscape is necessary to enhance the overall effectiveness of regulations.

“The rapid technological innovations in the IT and media space unequivocally challenge traditional definitions and blur regulatory boundaries,” Maluleka-Disemelo said.

“This collaboration aims to identify and address duplication of effort, identify potential synergies and outline avenues for future cooperation to [create] an effective media regulatory framework that is attuned to the evolving landscape of the digital era.”

Critical areas

She said the newly established forum has neither statutory authority nor corporate status, meaning it will not provide any formal recommendations or directives to its members. Each member, she said, “is responsible for fulfilling its mandate independently”.

ICTMRF membership is open only to regulatory authorities. Other interested organisations that do not qualify for membership may apply for observer status.

“The forum’s enduring vision is to broaden its membership and extend invitations to other regulatory entities with a mandate in the digital economy to join,” said Maluleka-Disemelo.

Read: Telkom warns Icasa plan could rob it of its competitive edge

Some of the “critical areas of cooperation” forum members will focus on are:

Sharing best practices to regulate their respective sectors effectively, ensuring the success of all members;
Implementing initiatives that concentrate on collaborative enforcement, public awareness and education, while still maintaining independent regulation, compliance measures and investigations in line with individual regulatory guidelines;
Hosting impactful seminars, workshops and training sessions to build capacity, share information and enhance regulatory capabilities;
Sharing crucial information and making referrals for matters falling within another member’s jurisdiction that might impact the mandate of either member;
Addressing issues related to the proliferation of online harm; and
Exploring additional matters of common interest identified by members.

The ICTMRF’s formation follows a similar initiative by regulatory authorities in the UK, the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF). The DRCF brings together Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, Financial Sector Conduct Authority, the Information Commissions Office, and Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator.

Confident

At Thursday’s launch, William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa, said that given a focus of the ICTMRF on human rights, it should consider including human rights groups in its membership base as well.