Court postpones judgment on digital migration to March 28
A TV set in airing broadcaster's regret and apology messages on December 23, 2013 evening after major media houses in Kenya switched off their broadcasts after Court Dismisses Petition to Halt Digital Migration. FILE PHOTO |
The Court of Appeal has extended the period barring digital TV migration to March 28 as it postponed the judgment date on the case filed by media houses.
Lawyers representing the Nation Media Group, Royal Media Services and Standard Media Group accuse the government of going against its own policy and recommendations on digital migration and violating media freedoms and rights.
The media houses seek to have government compelled to issue them with digital broadcasting licenses and frequencies.
The dispute initially arose from Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK)'s decision to award Kenya’s second digital signal distribution licence in 2011 to a Chinese company, Pan African Network Group.
The other licence had been awarded to Signet, a subsidiary of the state broadcaster.
Media owners opposed the move on grounds that the situation was a threat to press freedom and to the business model of the broadcast industry.
