Access to information still a challenge – AIC

ACCESS to information among the vulnerable groups in society remains compromised especially with the onset of the digital migration which has without doubt exposed inequalities where the less privileged are unable to pay for television services, the Access to Information Coalition (AIC) has said.

The digital migration programme, which includes setting up uplink stations for signal distribution to remote broadcasting sites and replacement of all the 67 analogue transmitters across the country, have necessitated payments for television services which was not the case before.

Coalition Vice Chairperson Guess Nyirenda told The Scoop that the Government should consider subsidizing subscriptions of television services to ensure no one was left behind as limited access to information had the potential to cause citizens to believe propaganda tactics that were being championed by some selfish individuals.

Mr. Nyirenda said that digital migration should not put people in a position where they could not have television services due to lack of capacity to pay, hence the need to look for a better way of ensuring that all citizens were well informed on issues of national interest.

“The digital migration agenda also gives room for the Government to ensure people are receiving quality information, but this should not side-line the poor who cannot afford to pay for television services,” Mr.  Nyirenda said.

He was of the view that the digital migration agenda should not perpetuate inequalities in the access to information as all citizens had the right to information.

He said that as much as terrestrial digital television allowed for an increase in the programmes available as well as improved quality and created new media services, the need to improve accessibility was critical.

He noted that the need to provide a platform to the voiceless in society wouldn’t help in enhancing and strengthening access to information and human rights, adding that digital migration should open up the airwaves for the most marginalised and less privileged in communities to improve accessibility to information.

He said that when citizens were well informed on national matters, they made informed decisions that were beneficial to the majority of the citizens.

“As efforts seem to be made towards improving the quality of sound of broadcasting and other factors, it is important that there is also a strong focus on marginalised groups that could be having challenges to access information in a sustained and structured manner where they are able to utilize content best suited to their needs,” he said.