by Delly Waigeno – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Charles Punaha has again been appointed the CEO of the National Information and Communications Technology Authority, or NICTA.
Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Jimmy Miringtoro, announced this today together with members of the NICTA Board, including Dr Bob Horton and John Cholai.
The minister urged the appointees to use their experience and expertise to assist NICTA in overseeing and ensuring a level playing field in the information and communication technologies industry in PNG.
The appointments were made by the NICTA Appointments Committee, which is headed by Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill.
At today’s media conference, Miringtoro thanked the NICTA staff for their calm throughout the six month delay in appointing a CEO.
“Mr Punaha is not new to the CEO post. He headed the previous PANGTEL regulatory regime for two terms leading up to 2010 before the government revamped the licensing and regulation of the ICT industry and established NICTA,” Miringtoro said.
With the new appointments done, Miringtoro said priority now is enacting the cybercrime legislation.
The minister said progress is being made to put in place a standalone cybercrime law for PNG. The policy will be officially launched this week, which will be followed by nation-wide public awareness and consultation before the tabling of legislation by Parliament in February 2016.
He added that the certificate of compliance for the mobile phone SIM card registration regulation is soon to be issued by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, before it is signed-off by the Governor General and gazetted.
This will allow NICTA to conduct mass public awareness and hold talks with the operators to schedule the implementation of the compulsory requirement to register SIM cards.
Minister Miringtoro has also issued a directive to the Department of Communication and Information to review and develop relevant policies on cross media ownership and broadcasting, and further, to undertake an audit of all ICT infrastructures funded through public funds.
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