Contentious broadcast bill passed

Following hours of debate, the government last evening used its majority in the National Assembly to pass the contentious update to the broadcast legislation. The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2017, which will update the Broadcasting Act of 2011, was passed by a vote of 33 to 23. Some private media operators had urged the government to defer the final readings of the bill so that there could be consultations on its content. Members of the opposition PPP/C, who voted against the bill, remained convinced that several aspects of the amendments might prove to be unconstitutional.