SECTOR 3 3.3 The body regulates broadcasting services and licences in the public interest and ensures fairness and a diversity of views broadly representing society at large. Broadcasting licences are issued through a bidding process. The authority is required by law to invite applications by a notice containing the category of broadcasting service for which the licence is intended, the licence area and the frequency available, among others. The act in its article 21 (2) sets some criteria for the issuance of licences, such as the “reliability and sufficiency of the applicant’s financial resources to run the service”, “the capability of equipments and technologies”, as well as “the contents of the program submitted by the applicant and social needs covered by the program.” While the law thus maps out a transparent licensing procedure with a bidding process and clear criteria, there is some confusion as to how state-affiliated stations, like Radio Fana, managed to be awarded frequencies in several parts of the country “without a visible process”. The authority is said to monitor all broadcasting programmes and, from time to time, sends letters to radio stations complaining about the kind of language used or perceived bias in news coverage. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 40 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ETHIOPIA 2010 2.5