Policies and Legislation for Internet Access and Usage in Zambia

摘要

Zambia has a number of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policies and legislation in place which addresses 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, investigate the roles of ICTs regulatory agencies and identify stakeholders in implementation of internet access and usage. Using literature review and structured questionnaires which were administered to the key stakeholders such as Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC), 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 laps in the way the stakeholders understood the role of the regulator and its capacity to regulate the MNOs and ISPs. The research concluded that, the stakeholders are aware of the current ICT policies and legislation for internet usage and access. However some of the notable challenges is that of lack of coordination and communication between the stakeholders and the regulators, this was evident in the varying responses that were given by among the regulators, ISPs and MNOs. However, there is need to operationalize ICT policies which can lead to the transformation of the technology of the various sectors.