Paying to view free-to-air channels will no longer be a burden to Kenyans after the Communications Authority ordered pay-TV providers to grant viewers access.
The directive comes as a relief to millions of Kenyans who have been paying monthly subscriptions to view local channels for about two years now.
CA director-general Mercy Wanjau said the directive followed numerous complaints from consumers that pay-TV providers had blocked access to free channels.
“Some digital terrestrial television (DTT) service providers have configured their DTT platforms to bar some set-top boxes from receiving free-to-air (FTA) signal from other platforms,” she said.
Wanjau cited the barring of FTA channels transmitted from StarTimes on GOtv set-top boxes and vice versa.
“Barring of reception of FTA broadcasting signals is a violation of licence conditions, the Act and Regulations,” Wanjau said.
Two years ago, pay-TV providers were licensed to broadcast free-to-air local channels like NTV, KTN, KBC, Citizen and TV47 on their platforms.
This meant providers such as GOtv and StarTimes were supposed to air free channels transmitted by other signal providers like Pan-Africa Network Limited (PANG), Signet, Bamba and Africa Digital Network (ADN) at no cost.
The providers, however, later blocked access forcing citizens to pay a monthly subscription alongside other paid-for channels.
Wanjau said all type DVB-T2 set-top boxes should be configured to receive all FTA channels without any restriction.
“Licensed DTT broadcast signal distributors and pay-TV providers to unconditionally remove any restrictions and enable reception of FTA broadcast signals from all other DTT platforms within 48 hours failure to which the authority will take necessary action,” Wanjau said in the letter dated March 30.
It was addressed to all chief executives and managing directors of DTT platforms.
Edited by R.Wamochie
