A research institute report has raised alarm against Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) for ignoring the most influential radio media – state radio stations – in regulating local electronic media. The regulator has come up with stringent regulations that are about to kick in on April 2016. But a recent study by Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) has revealed that the majority of the broadcasting sector remains unregulated, or at least remains outside of the ambit of BOCRA’s regulatory authority. “The most influential radio media, RB1 and RB2 and BTV are unregulated by BOCRA. Being thus unregulated implies a lack of capacity by BOCRA to exert regulatory discipline on the most influential media, possibly leading to lack of uniformity of standards,” read the customer satisfaction report by BIDPA. According to the BIDPA report that was presented to stakeholders on Wednesday, the unregulated sector also include all the SABC channels (1, 2, and 3), DSTv Botswana and Multi Choice South Africa, however, in the case of the SABC channels, geographical reach is largely restricted to villages and towns close to South Africa. The report pointed out the exemption of state broadcasters from regulatory authority is likely to lead to…