REPUBLIC OF FIJI

Media Industry Development (Amendment) Act 2015
ACT NO. 9 OF 2015

I assent.

E. NAILATIKAU
President 

[14 July 2015] 

AN ACT

TO AMEND THE MEDIA INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT DECREE 2010

ENACTED by the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji— 

Short title and commencement

1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Media Industry Development (Amendment) Act 2015. 

(2) This Act shall come into force on the date of its publication in the Gazette. 

(3) In this Act, the Media Industry Development Decree 2010 shall be referred to as the "Decree". 

New section inserted

2. The Decree is amended by inserting the following new section after section 42— 

"Telecommunications service provider

42A.—(1) Any foreign person or any media organisation registered under this Decree may provide subscription based pay television services through satellite or terrestrial transmission provided that— 

(a) such television services are limited to entertainment and sports programmes or channels sourced from any other country; 

(b) no local content including local news is aired or shown by any such provider except commercial advertisements which exclude advertisements by any political party, foreign government, inter-governmental organisation, non-government organisation or multi-lateral agency; and 

(c) such provider obtains a special licence approved by the Minister, which shall be subject to such conditions as determined by the Minister. 

(2) Any person intending to provide subscription based pay television services under subsection (1) using telecommunications network may do so provided that person has obtained a special licence approved by the Minister, which shall be subject to conditions as determined by the Minister." 

Section 65 amended

3. Section 65 of the Decree is amended in subsection (1) by deleting paragraphs (c) and (g). 

Section 66 amended

4. Section 66 of the Decree is amended in subsection (2) by deleting the words "a journalist, to a fine of $1,000 and in a case of". 

Passed by the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji this 9th day of July 2015.