Botswana Still on regional matters, Botswana stepped up to the plate in its handling the political impasse in Lesotho, with Botswana judge Mpaphi Phumaphi, at the head of the mission. Media and Technology – “more than just nature, beef and diamonds” The media in Botswana has to a large extent tried to adopt new technologies. A large number of media houses have an online presence, keeping pace with the digital revolution. However, online editions of most newspapers remain very similar to the print edition, which points to a need for skills capacity for online media production. However, the online platforms remain an unexplored terrain in terms of identifying revenue streams and mechanisms. Nonetheless, a number of media businesses have greatly embraced social media in their online publications. Many have set up Facebook pages, and the journalists also use these platforms. The national television and radio stations have yet to extend their reach onto online platforms. Botswana is still to make digital television receivers available to the public. In 2015, when the government switched to digital television, it was expected that set-top boxes for reception of the digital signal would soon be available to the general public on the market. However, it remains unclear when this will happen. A limited number are being given away as prizes to listeners during callin programmes on national radio, Radio Botswana. In May the media witnessed a milestone in the maturing of the broadcasting sector, when the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) invited interested parties to submit bids for commercial broadcasting licences. This is a welcome development in a country with only one commercial television channel, e-Botswana, which is still available only within a radius of 60 kilometres from the capital, notwithstanding claims in the BOCRA report for 2016 that e-Botswana has been expanding its range. Fulfilment of this initiative will signal the end of the monopoly of television airwaves in Botswana. The BOCRA announcement invited applications for licences for both subscription and freeto-air satellite television broadcasting as well as for licences for subscription management service. The announcement was placed in media outlets only, deviating from the usual BOCRA practice of announcing such major developments at a press conference. Online platforms remain an unexplored terrain. Television viewers were also greeted with the news of the lowering of subscription fees for Digital Satellite Television (Dstv) by Multichoice Botswana, arguably making subscription television more accessible. While this is a welcome development, with the slump in the national economy and social challenges such as poverty and unemployment, many Batswana might not enjoy the benefits of low subscription fees. In light of this, free to air television services by both state and commercial media remain even more critical in Botswana. In terms of the three tiers of broadcast- So This is Democracy? 2016 33