Policies and legislation for internet access and usage in Zambia a

Abstract

Zambia has a number of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policies and legislation in place which address internet usage and access such as the Zambia National ICT policy and the ICT Act of 2009 and the Electronic Communication and Transaction Act of 2009. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether the current policies and legislation are applicable in addressing internet access and usage in Zambia. The objectives of the study was to investigate policies and legislations implemented for internet access and usage, the roles of ICT regulatory agencies and identify stakeholders in implementation of internet access and usage. The study used purposive sampling techniques to obtain appropriate respondents. Structured questionnaires were administered to key stakeholders such as ministry tasked with ICT, the regulator, mobile network operators (MNOs) and internet service providers (ISPs). The research revealed that the regulator and other stakeholder acknowledged that Zambia has policies for implementation of internet usage and access. Furthermore, the results showed some lapses in the way the stakeholders understood the role of the regulator and its capacity to regulate the MNOs and ISPs. The findings revealed that, based on the objectives and the research questions, there is: lack of coordination between the ISPs & MNOs and the regulator; lack of collaborations between the sectors, ISPs, MNOs, Regulator and the line ministry tasked with the responsibility of ICT policy implementation; unclear information as to whether Zambia has specific internet policies and the need for ICT policy awareness and periodic reviews to address the emerging issues. However, there is need to operationalise ICT policies which can lead to the transformation in the technology of the various sectors. Keywords Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers, Policies, Legislation, Regulators, Internet Access, Government.