According to TechCentral, the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa) has started a public consultation on what universal access to communications services should mean, more than 14 years after the last universal access targets expired.
The discussion document, published in the Government Gazette on Thursday, asks whether the minister’s 2010 determination of universal access and universal service should be updated. The 2010 determination, issued as Government Notice 85 in February 2010, set numerical targets for public access points, household access, affordability and broadcasting, but those targets were only intended to apply for up to two years. Usaasa says the old targets “must not be presented as current targets” without separate legal verification, and it still has to confirm the present legal status of the determination itself.
Usaasa’s preferred approach, described as a “targeted revision”, would keep the 2010 distinction between shared public access in communities and services that individuals or households can obtain. The agency proposes to update the definitions to include broadband and emergency communications, at a quality and cost that permit “effective use”. No specific numbers, such as a minimum broadband speed, an affordability threshold or a maximum distance to a public access point, are proposed. Benchmarks would be developed later through a separate instrument, with its own consultation and review timetable.
The proposed definitions are technology neutral. Satellite, wireless and fixed technologies could be treated equally if they meet the required service attributes. The document also cautions against relying on a single access statistic. Citing the communications regulator Icasa’s State of the ICT Sector report for March 2026, it notes that 82.1% of households had internet access from any location in 2024, but only 17.4% had access at home.
In a reply to a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance’s Tsholofelo Bodlani, approved on 4 September, communications minister Solly Malatsi said Usaasa’s disestablishment “must be preceded by legislative enablement”. A separate bill would convert the Universal Service and Access Fund into a Digital Development Challenge Fund that co-finances projects, disestablish Usaasa and transfer its employees, assets and liabilities to their successors. The bill has not yet been published; it must first pass through a cluster of ministers and then to cabinet before public consultation can begin. Malatsi indicated the bill could be introduced in Parliament “in the next financial year”. The Electronic Communications Amendment Bill currently before parliament makes no provision for Usaasa or the fund.
The reply also disclosed how the Universal Service and Access Fund’s money was spent in 2025/2026. Of the R521.2-million total, R430.7 million, about 83%, went to the broadcasting digital migration project that supports the switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television. Broadband projects received R83.3 million, or 16%, while the remainder covered project overheads and audit fees.
For small-business owners and entrepreneurs, the uncertainty around universal access targets matters because affordable, reliable broadband is a prerequisite for many digital operations. Without clear, legally backed targets, there is a risk that low-income households and micro-enterprises will continue to face high connection costs or limited service quality. The outcome of the consultation, and the pending legislation, will shape whether future funding and policy support can address those gaps.
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The discussion paper cautions that any fixed percentage or minimum broadband speed should be avoided until its impact on low-income households can be tested, warning that premature benchmarks could unintentionally raise costs for the most vulnerable users. This stance reflects a broader concern that setting rigid targets without evidence may undermine the goal of “effective use” for all South Africans, especially those relying on shared public access points.
According to the source, the proposed legislation must first pass through a cluster of ministers before reaching cabinet for approval; only after that stage can a public consultation on the bill be launched. The minister indicated that the bill could be tabled in Parliament in the next financial year, while the current Electronic Communications Amendment Bill, which focuses on spectrum sharing, roaming and municipal wayleaves, contains no provisions for the agency or its fund.
The source also points out that the agency overseeing the consultation may not be present to see the process through, implying that the body could be dissolved before the final recommendations are acted upon. This uncertainty adds a layer of complexity for participants, who must consider that any input might be evaluated by a successor entity rather than the original agency.
When the bill is eventually introduced, it will transform the Universal Service and Access Fund into a Digital Development Challenge Fund that co-finances projects, while simultaneously disestablishing the agency and transferring its employees, assets and liabilities to the new structures. The conversion aims to maintain continuity of funding for broadband and broadcasting initiatives despite the organisational change.
