Zanzibar — Many people mostly in remote parts of the country are unable to watch television after failing to get signals for local channels through their decoders, the House of Representatives was told.

"The migration to digital technology has led to confusion. The government had promised people in Zanzibar to get quality decoders at a cheaper rate that would have been showing many channels but that is not the case," said.

Mr Hassan Hamad Omar (CUFKojani). The representative was joined by his colleagues in the House to raise questions about the digital technology, blaming the government for rushing while knowing that the majority of people cannot afford to pay for the decoders.

Questions, the Minister for Information, Culture, Tourism, and Sports Mr Said Ali Mbarouk said the 75,000/- total cost for a decoder in Zanzibar was cheaper compared to other providers in Tanzania.

However, he apologized to people especially in Pemba where it is still a problem to access channels. He noted that the government expects to use fibre-optic cable to boost transmission, but unfortunately the cable is not yet in use.