347
of this section under cover of confidentiality or which is confidential,
commits an offence and upon conviction shall be liable to a fine not less
than M6000 or to imprisonment for a period not less than 6 months.
Access restriction and denial
47.
(1)
The Authority may, in consultation with the Minister, reasonably deny
or restrict access to any documents or information requested by any person
for the purposes of preserving national security.
(2)
Except to the extent that reports and any documents filed with the
Authority under this Act contain confidential business or national security
information, such reports and documents shall be open to the public and
may be made available to members of the public on payment of a fee
to be prescribed by the Authority and may be inspected by interested
persons during the normal business hours of the Authority.
Universal access
48.
(1)
The Authority shall develop annual objectives for services to be provided
with the purpose of ensuring that the public telecommunication service,
in particular the basic telephone service, is accessible to the widest number
of users and shall take into account the work and recommendations of
the international and regional organisations of which Lesotho is a member.
(2)
The Authority may establish a fund into which providers of
telecommunication services (public and private) shall pay any fees the
Authority may prescribe as universal access development fees; or the
Authority may make it a condition of a grant of a licence that every
provider of public telecommunication services shall establish a universal
access fund the proceeds of which shall solely be used with the Authority’s
approval for the development and expansion of its telecommunication
service infrastructure in areas where there are no services and to provide
access to widest users including those with disabilities.
Part VIII
Equipment standards, type approval and inspection
Equipment standard
49.
The Authority may establish technical standards applicable to
telecommunication equipment and customer premises equipment to ensure
against harm to telecommunication networks or services or to public
health, safety or the environment.
Type approval and inspection
50.
(1)
The Authority may prescribe Rules specifying the types of
telecommunication equipment (hereinafter referred to as “type approval”)
which may be used for providing a telecommunication service for
operating or connecting to a telecommunication system or for terminal
equipment.