NCA shuts down 62 radio stations for breaching broadcasting regulations

The NCA has stated that enforcement action is now necessary due to ongoing breaches of regulatory standards, particularly Regulations 54 and 56 of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 1991), along with the Conditions of their FM Broadcasting Authorisations.

“Approximately sixty-two (62) stations have been impacted. These stations either lack valid broadcasting Authorisations or do not possess a Certificate of Compliance to begin operations, and they may only restart once all regulatory violations have been resolved,” the NCA explained.
The choice to suspend the operations of these FM stations comes after a directive from the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, which instructed the NCA to impose relevant sanctions on stations that were found to be non-compliant during a recent audit aimed at ensuring adherence to licensing and operational standards in the broadcasting industry.

The NCA has begun to implement regulatory sanctions against the non-compliant entities identified in the Frequency Audit Report in stages.

Following the initial phase of the audit conducted by the NCA, the following violations were noted;

Twenty-Eight (28) stations are operating with expired Authorisations. Some of these stations were instructed by the NCA in 2024 to stop broadcasting but have continued their illegal activities. This constitutes a breach of Section 2 (4) of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775).