Media in Congo Republic

Article 25 of the 2015 Constitution protects freedom of expression and the communication of information through speech, writing, images and other means. Organic law No. 4-2003, as amended by No. 27-2022, provides the main framework for media oversight. The CSLC is a constitutionally independent administrative authority with responsibilities covering press, broadcast media, fibre-optic networks, mobile phones, social media and digitized signals. It can provide rules and consultation, mediate disputes, approve or monitor radio and television equipment, issue press cards and accreditations, and oversee advertising, opinion polls and protection of children and adolescents. The Ministry of Communication and Media acts as the government's policy and sector partner. ARPCE deals with electronic communications, spectrum, networks, service quality and consumer complaints; its telecommunications authorizations are separate from editorial or media permissions. Print publishing requires a declaration to the Procureur de la République at the place of publication before the first issue. The file normally includes the owner's company statutes, purpose, publication title and frequency, place of publication, ownership, format and price, director of publication and capital information. After receiving the récépissé, or filing receipt, the publication is registered with the CSLC. Each issue is subject to legal deposit of two signed copies. Public information does not specify the applicable fees or decision deadlines. A 2022 CSLC report counted 55 print titles, but only 11 appeared regularly; La Semaine Africaine and Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, the only daily title identified in that report, illustrate the difference between registered titles and regular publication. Radio and television projects require a declaration to the Procureur and a substantial file before an application to the CSLC for authorization to operate and use a frequency. The file can include statutes, capital information, a receipt, site details, operating specifications, ownership and representation details, a technical plan, environmental information, a three-year financial forecast, programme plans, content policies, staffing and training plans, and the planned rollout. Radio and television applications are each submitted in 13 copies. Fees depend on the type of service, and published decision deadlines are not available. The 2022 figures recorded 82 radio stations, including 10 public and 72 private stations, and 12 television channels, including 2 public and 10 private channels. Documented formats include commercial, religious, thematic, community and international services. The completion status of the transition to digital terrestrial television has not been verified. Online media include web radio, web television and online newspapers. The 2022 CSLC report listed two websites and 25 online media services. Article 70 of law No. 8-2001 expressly applies to web radio, defined there as an internet-only radio service with a structured simultaneous programme schedule. Public sources do not set out complete authorization or registration details for web television and online newspapers. The CSLC announced a broader audiovisual and online-media census in 2026, followed by a campaign concerning press cards and journalist cards, but no final date or complete current online register is established. Streaming access is mainly commercial. Canal+ Congo provides live and replay television through subscriptions and connected devices, with listed monthly packages of FCFA 5,500, 11,000, 16,000 and 27,500. Depending on the package, the offer contains approximately 260 to more than 350 television and radio channels and more than 50,000 replay programmes. Access depends on the network connection, device and subscription. No national public streaming service or equivalent has been reliably established. Mobile internet is a major access path: ARPCE reported 3.757 million mobile-internet subscriptions and 59.3% penetration in 2024, with 98.1% prepaid and 1.9% postpaid subscriptions. A public consumer list gave 10 GB for 30 days at FCFA 5,000 as one example, but prices and allowances vary by provider and offer. Social-media use falls within the CSLC's wider media and digital-signal remit, but no separate social-media authority, uniform creator licence or official platform-by-platform user and moderation statistics are established. Public authorities identify disinformation and the regulation of digital media as concerns. A platform account therefore does not by itself establish a press authorization, journalist status or telecommunications licence. The 2018 journalism ethics code protects access to sources, research on public life and matters of general interest, and the freedom to inform, comment, criticize and use satire within an editorial line and the law. A press card can serve as proof of professional access. Journalists may protect a source when anonymity has been requested and may invoke a conscience clause. Media organizations are expected to protect journalists and support appropriate professional status, collective agreements and material, physical and moral security. Duties include checking sources, avoiding unsupported rumours, respecting privacy and irrelevant personal data, observing the right of reply and the presumption of innocence, protecting minors and vulnerable people, separating advertising from journalism and avoiding conflicts of interest. These duties apply to text, audio, video and posters, including anonymous material, and violations can have consequences under applicable law. The CSLC may suspend or stop programmes and publications, withdraw frequencies or press cards and impose financial sanctions for manifest or repeated violations within its legal powers. Citizens and legal entities with a legitimate interest can submit a complaint to the CSLC about a broadcast interruption, interference or rule- or ethics-breaking article or programme. A complaint can be filed with the presidency, including at the CSLC office or by email to contact@cslc.cg or infos@cslc.cg. It should identify the medium, date, programme or article, alleged problem, complainant's name and contact details, and may include audio, image or video files up to 64 MB. Published information does not specify a fee or filing deadline. Complaints about electronic communications or mobile service belong separately with ARPCE's consumer service, including the free mobile short number 5050; in 2024, ARPCE recorded 211 complaints, of which 35 concerned mobile internet. Media providers must protect children and adolescents from harmful information, including on the internet. Chapter 8 of cybercrime law No. 27-2020 addresses child pornography. A UNICEF Congo study published in 2020, based on 2019 research involving about 6,000 learners aged 12 to 18, examined online, psychological, physical, sexual and economic violence and found substantial online risks, especially for girls; it should not be treated as a current national prevalence measurement. A UNICEF and Airtel project provided free access through Airtel SIM cards to Congo Learning Passport, Ecole à Domicile and Akelius at 10 schools and six youth education centres in Brazzaville, Niari and Pointe-Noire. Its 2023-2024 target was 10,000 learners, with an objective of reaching more than 100 schools and structures over five years; project access is not a universal entitlement. During elections, the CSLC regulates media access for candidates. The institutional rules provide for equal and balanced candidate time, an order selected by drawing lots and broadcasts during prime time on public audiovisual media. The official arrangements for the 2026 presidential election listed seven candidates and dates of 12 and 15 March 2026. Actual nationwide reach and participation have not been measured comprehensively.