STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA 4.0 Findings 4.1 Policy and Statutory Framework The media industry in the country operates under the portfolio Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services and is also guided by the occasional policy pronouncements or changes as well as existing legislation or statutory instruments. During the period, there was a proposal to amend a provision in both the Independent Broadcasting Authority Act and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation Act. The amendment was passed by Parliament during its sitting in the last quarter. Amendment to ZNBC and IBA Acts On 30 November 2017 the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Ms Kampamba Mulenga presented a Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill to Parliament. The objectives of the Bill were mainly to repeal provisions relating to the imposition and collection of the television levy and appointment of television levy inspectors under this Act, and to delete definitions, provisions relating to the imposition and collection of the television levy.1 She also presented the Independent Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill whose objective was to provide for the charging and collection of television levy.2 The two amendment Bills were aimed at operationalising the new arrangement of collecting television levy effective from January 2018 proposed by the Minister of Finance, Mr Felix C Mutati, when he presented the 2018 National Budget at the end of September 2017. During the budget presentation Mr Mutati proposed a change in the collection of TV levy to subscriber management service licensing system from the existing arrangement which enabled ZNBC to collect the levy through electricity bills once a month when customers purchased power units from the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO). Mr Mutati also proposed an increase in the monthly TV levy from K3 to 1 2 The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2017, No. 18 dated 27 November 2017 The Independent Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill 2017, No. 19 dated 27 November 2017 7