COMMUNICATION AND MASS MEDIA IN CAMEROON

The communication and mass media industry in Cameroon has experienced exponential growth with the increase in population, business, schools, and economic, social and political activities from 1990 till the present. This exponential growth in the communication and mass media industry in Cameroon has been witnessed through the increase in the number of actors in the industry, ranging from individuals to companies and organisations.

The state of Cameroon has, in her capacity as the regulator, always played a key role in the facilitation of the activities carried out by these major players through the enactment of laws, Decrees and establishment of institutions. In this regard, the communication and mass media industry is regulated by the following laws;

• Law No. 98/014 of 14 July 1998 Regulating Telecommunications in Cameroon;
• Law No. 2005/013 of 29 December 2005 Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of Law No. 98/014 of 14 July 1998 Governing Telecommunications in Cameroon;
• Law No. 2000/011 of 19 December 2000 on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights;
• Decree No. 2001/830/PM of 19 September 2001 Defining the Terms and Conditions for Authorising the Operation of Telecommunications Networks;
• Decree No. 2001/831/PM of 19 September 2001 Defining the Terms and Conditions for Authorising the Provision of Telecommunications Services;
• Law No. 2003/004 of 21 April 2003 on Banking Secrecy;
• Law No. 2010/013 of 21 December 2010 Regulating Electronic Communications in Cameroon;
• Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime in Cameroon;
• Law No. 2010/021 of 21 December 2010 Regulating Electronic Commerce in Cameroon;
• Law No. 2011/012 of 06 May 2011 on Consumer Protection in Cameroon;
• Decree No. 2012/1637/PMof14 June 2012 to Lay Down the Identification Requirements for Subscribers and Terminals;
• Decree No. 2012/1641/pm of 14 June 2012 Laying Down the Conditions for the Portability of Numbers;
• Decree No. 2012/203 of 20 April 2012 on the Organisation and Functioning of the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (‘ART’);
• Decree No. 2013/0399/PM of 27 February 2013 Laying Down the Rules for the Protection of Consumers of Electronic Communications Services;
• Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 on the Penal Code in Cameroon; and
• Decree No. 2019/150 of 22 March 2019 on the Organisation and Functioning of the National Information and Communication Technology Agency (ANTIC).

Irrespective of the plethora of laws regulating the communication and mass media industry in Cameroon, the aspects of data protection and privacy are given a strategic position. National legal provisions on data protection and privacy can be seen enshrined in several laws regulating other industries in Cameroon.

Worthy of note is the regional laws regulating data protection and communication within the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC REGULATION). Some of these laws are as follows;

• Regulation No. 21/08-UEAC-13-CM-18 of 19 December 2008 on the Harmonisation of Regulations and Regulatory Policies on Electronic Communications in CEMAC Member States;
• Directive No. 07/08-UEAC-133-CM-18 of December 19, 2008, on the Legal Framework for the Protection of Users of Electronic Communications Networks and Services within CEMAC;
• Directive No. 09/08-UEAC-133-CM-18 of 19 December 2008 Harmonising the Legal Frameworks of Electronic Communications in the CEMAC Member States;
• Regulation No. 03/16-CEMAC-UMAC-CMAC-CM of 21 December 2016 on Systems, Means and Incidents of Payment; and
• Directive 02/19-UEAC-639-CM-18 of 22 March 2019 Harmonising the Protection of Consumers within CEMAC.

The various write-ups, as will be provided in this blog, are aimed at illustrating the modalities applicable to licensing and granting of authorisations in the different sectors of Cameroon’s communication and mass media industry.