Johannesburg — THE Broadcasting Act would be amended to introduce an appropriate funding model for the SABC "to ensure that the public broadcaster is not left to the vagaries of the markets", Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda said yesterday.

A task team of Department of Communications, Treasury officials and business turnaround strategists had been established to help the SABC and to consider the strategic thrust of the state-owned carrier of carriers, Sentech.

Nyanda told MPs during his budget vote speech in Parliament that the act would be renamed the Public Services Broadcasting Act and it would bring the SABC charter into line with international best practice and ensure that it was best suited "to our young democracy".

"A new vision and mandate for public broadcasting services in line with SA's developmental agenda is required, and the governance of the SABC needs to be strengthened."

Nyanda said an information and communications technology policy framework would be finalised before end-March next year. This would outline the country's long-term vision for the sector and provide policy certainty for the industry and investors.

The Universal and Access Agency was busy finalising a 10-month consultative process on the definitions of universal service and universal access, together with suggested targets.

This would enable a review of the universal service obligations imposed by the Independent Communications Authority of SA on communications licence holders to ensure that they took greater account of national priorities.

"The definitions will assist in having more holistic obligations incorporating infrastructure/facilities, training, applications, connectivity and usage costs, among others."

Nyanda said that the recommendations would be submitted to him next month .

He acknowledged that the underserviced area licence operators were not functioning properly and said the programme and business model would be reviewed.

A national broadband policy would be finalised by March next year to provide a holistic, co-ordinated national approach to the provision of broadband infrastructure and services and co-ordinate the many broadband initiatives that existed in nat- ional, provincial and local spheres.

An independent panel of experts would be appointed to make recommendations on how to reduce the cost of communication and the department would also finalise the radio frequency spectrum usage policy by March 2010.

This would guide the allocation of frequencies. As part of this process an audit on the spectrum occupancy and usage would also be conducted.