The Broadcasting Commission is an independent statutory agency established in June 1986. It falls under the ambit of the Minister with responsibility for Information. The Commission is mandated by the Broadcasting and Radio Re-diffusion Act (BRRA) to monitor and regulate free-to-air television, broadcast radio and subscriber television (Cable) services to ensure their operation at appropriate levels in relation to technical, programming, and service standards.
The Commission is specifically mandated to:
- Administer the BRRA and the Television and Sound Broadcasting Regulations (TSBR).
- Evaluate applications and make recommendations to the Minister for the grant of licences and the terms under which licenses should be granted and/ or renewed.
- Monitor whether the operations and the programming of licensees meet the standards set out in law or the terms and conditions of licence. Where a licensee is shown to be non-compliant, the Commission may either direct the licensee to air an apology or recommend to the Minister that the license be suspended or revoked.
- Provide advice to policy makers in the formulation of policies for the industry.
- Conduct research on all areas relating to the electronic media in Jamaica.
