recommendations made by the leadership of the Tanzania Bloggers Network (TBN) when they met with experts from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) who visited the platform's offices located in Mtoni kwa Aziz Ali, Temeke Dar es Salaam.
The panel of experts, led by Professor Siasa Mzenzi, met with the TBN leadership for approximately two hours, discussing various issues related to bloggers, existing cooperation with the Authority in technological changes, licensing, and challenges faced by bloggers.Tanzania, with a system of registering online content, including blogs, through the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), oversees this issue by considering the type of content published online.
Although the purpose of registration seems to be to eliminate arbitrariness and control online content, ensure it complies with the country's laws and ethics, and protect online safety, discussions revealed that blogs in Tanzania face various challenges that TCRA can address, thereby enhancing online information access and increasing job opportunities.
According to TBN Executive Secretary, Khadija Khalili, their platform, which currently has over 100 members out of the 300 registered when the network started in 2015, one of the reasons for the decrease in active members is the existence of laws and regulations governing online content, especially the registration and licensing procedures, which are a hindrance to blog owners, especially small ones.
She said the registration and licensing fees are high compared to the actual income of bloggers. Currently, blogs pay a license fee of 550,000 Tanzanian shillings, including 50,000 for the application, and will pay 500,000 annually for three years before applying for another license.
TBN members also told the experts that there is a need for the Authority to be close to the platform to nurture bloggers through capacity building, whether in education or solving challenges related to blog operations.
They also discussed the cost of internet access and equipment, saying that they affect the ability of blog owners to publish content and reach readers, while the requirement for a newsroom increases costs that blog owners cannot afford.
They advised that for blogs to operate effectively and in accordance with the law, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has several important responsibilities to fulfill, including providing clear and effective education and guidelines to bloggers.
TCRA should also reduce fees and other charges for bloggers and provide installment payment options.
"Establish procedures and benchmarks based on blogger traffic in licensing and registering blogs. This procedure should be friendly to blog owners and not hinder freedom of expression," said Khadija.
She also said that TCRA should provide assistance and support to blog owners in various matters, such as capacity building, to improve the blogging environment in the country.
"TCRA should create an enabling environment for the growth of blogs in the country. This involves removing unnecessary obstacles and promoting innovation," said Khadija at the closing of the meeting.
She also advised TCRA to continue the tradition of meeting with its stakeholders, including providing training to strengthen their capacity and addressing the impact of internet bundle and equipment costs.
She said that if the blogging sector within the media industry is well managed with close cooperation with TCRA, it is clear that Tanzania will benefit from quality and standard content that will help protect the ethics of our society.