TCRA set to suspend Startimes

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has said it intends to suspend Star Media Tanzania Limited (Startimes).

In a notice published on Friday July 27, and signed by TCRA director general James Kilaba, the authority says the company has failed to comply with the requirements of their broadcasting license that was issued on June 2010. Among others, the company was required to provide access to free-to-air content services licences as a primary obligation.

But the company, according to the regulator had not been complying with the obligation of the license and refused to pay a fine charged by TCRA for the breach of the law.

“Upon complaints by consumers, in December 2016 and 2017 the authority carried out an investigation and affirmed that Star Media Tanzania was not complying with the obligation,” read part of the TCRA statement. The regulator statement went further to explain that even after being ordered to stop charging free-to-air television channels TCRA continued to receive complaints from consumers.