https://zimbabwe.misa.org • Get citizen participation in national economic, social and political issues • Access to information • National empowerment • Promotion of competition in the broadcasting sector • To liberalise airwaves • Enhance rule of law State of Broadcasting and Digital Migration in the Region Policy objectives • Develop digital broadcasting market structure and licensing framework • To define national technical standards to ensure interoperability, economies of scale and safeguarding universal services • To provide framework for content development and regulation in order to promote diversity and create jobs • To develop and provide guidelines for the establishment and operation of signal distributors. • To provide a time frame and schedule of digital transition in order to undertake orderly switchover and analogue switch off. • Ensure local media houses are promoted to increase local content • Require signal distributors to adopt common technologies for devices to be used by the public to access DTT services • Ensure regulators develop and implement tariff and universal access guidelines by ASO date. Set Top Boxes and consumer protection It is critical that consumers are protected and have guaranteed access to information. Policies were put in place to make sure the consumers were not taken for a ride: • Regulators developed mechanisms to ensure compliance to type approved STBs • STB dealers are registered and licenced to only trade in type approved gadgets • STB dealers to establish wide sale points and ensure consumers acquire the gadgets at a competitive and fair price. • Ensure that all free to air channels are accessible on all STBs across signal distributors • Promote consumer awareness on access and utilisation of STBs and digital broadcasting systems in general. 19