SECTOR 3 3.12 Community broadcasting enjoys special promotion by the government given its potential to broaden access by communities to the airwaves. The Communications Act of 2012 provides for community broadcasting and is defined as broadcasting that: a) is provided by specific communities; b) transmits programmes that are submitted by and realises aspirations of the community that owns such broadcasters; c) operates on a non-profit making basis and; d) provides coverage that will enable transmission access to members of the community; Going by these definitions there are no community radio stations in Lesotho. “Community radio is when you broadcast to a defined community - it could be a village, it could be something else …but when you have that radio station, piggy backing on the state and then broadcasting as far as Johannesburg, for instance, because some of these radios you can actually pick their frequency as far as Zimbabwe, then the technical term for community becomes passive.” What could be defined as a community broadcasting programme is the initiative by a young boy who discovered how to broadcast. At first the State shut him down, but after the Minister visited him and applauded his creative effort, the head of the LCA backtracked on this decision and allowed him to continue broadcasting. His initiative is still up and running and since he comes from a very poor family, the boy charges sightseers to his initiative, a nominal fee of 5 Maloti (under US$1). AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2012 49