QUESTION PAPER NO: 6
DATE OF REPLY: 26 March 2010
Mr D B Feldman (COPE-Gauteng) to ask the Minister of Communications:
1) Whether the Universal Service Agency of South Africa (Usasa) is still
functional; if not, why not; if so; what are the relevant details;
2) what has Usasa achieved as at the latest specified date for which
information is available?
CW135E
REPLY:
1) Yes, USAASA is functional. The organisation is implementing its
mandate as per the Telecommunications Act (1996), namely to manage the
Universal Service and Acess Fund (USAF). USAF, with funds appropriated
by Parliament, is used for infrastructure for the universal services
area licensees, as well as providing infrastructure for telecentres
and school cyberlabs (computer laboratories with ICT equipment which
enable access to the internet and provide multimedia services). The
agency is also responsible to promote universal service and access to
communications technologies and services for all South Africans. It
also facilitates and offers guidance in evaluating, monitor and
implementing schemes, which propose to improve universal access and
service. In addition, it is involved in setting up telecentres, which
provide ICT services, especially in rural areas, on a cost recovery
basis.
2) The achievements of USAASA is reported in the annual reports that can
be accessed via the website which is: www.usaasa.org. It can however
be mentioned that as at 31 March 2009 the following are key
achievements of USAASA:
⢠Deployed ICT kiosks to 15 Access Centres in the Free State,
Mpumalanga, North West and Gauteng Provinces.
⢠Subsidized two Under-Service Area Licencees (USALs), namely
Amathole Communications in East London; and Kingdom Communications
in KwaZulu Natal;
⢠Rolled out ICT infrastructure to 8 identified Dinaledi Schools;
⢠Finalized recommendations on the definition of Universal Service
and Access.