Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has withdrawn the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill, which was tabled before Parliament in October last year.
This decision, she explained in a statement on Tuesday, would enable further consultations and to align the Bill with the drive towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, given the fact that Parliament was unlikely to finalise the Bill during the remainder of the current term.
The Electronic Communications Amendment Bill creates the framework for a wholesale open-access network.
Ndabeni-Abrahams told the Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services that the specific issues raised in the Committee’s report on the Bill would be considered as part of further consultations with stakeholders.