MAURITIUS 2.3 Efforts are undertaken to increase the scope of circulation of the print media, particularly to rural communities. ANALYSIS: As Mauritius is a small island, distribution of newspapers is easy and all the leading newspapers are available everywhere in the country even in the outlying island of Rodrigues. L’Express and Le Mauricien have introduced weekly pages for each region (North, East, South, West, Rodrigues) to serve local communities better and to increase circulation. SCORES: Individual scores: 4,5,5,4,5,5,4,4,5,5 Average score: 4.6 2.4 Broadcasting legislation has been passed and is implemented that provides for a conducive environment for public, commercial and community broadcasting. ANALYSIS: The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation is governed by the MBC Act and the Independent Broadcasting Authorityregulates private radios. There is no specific provision for community broadcasting. The University would like to apply for a licence to go on air. However, the license fees payable are prohibitive: they range from Rs 250,000 (8,300 US dollars) to Rs 400,000 (13,300 US dollars) per annum for a private FM radio station. The broadcasting regulator claims that there is a lack of frequencies and therefore refuses to issue any more licences. 12 African Media Barometer - Mauritius 2008