By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The rules of Belize’s information landscape may be about to change fundamentally. The proposed Broadcasting Act, 2026, released to stakeholders last week Thursday, promises sweeping changes that would bring online broadcasters, streaming services, and social media content creators under unprecedented government oversight and licensing requirements.
In the interest of full transparency, that includes outlets like this one. Online news pages serving Belizean audiences fall squarely within the proposed framework, so we report on this legislation as both journalists and stakeholders.
The landmark legislation officially expands the legal definition of broadcasting beyond traditional radio and television to cover internet-dependent digital platforms, Over-The-Top services, and what it terms National Online Broadcasters targeting Belizean audiences for commercial gain. Under the new framework, online outlets and digital content creators generating advertising or sponsorship revenue from Belizeans would no longer operate in a regulatory vacuum. They would be required to obtain an official licence, or secure an explicit exemption, from the Belize Broadcasting Authority.
Attorney-at-Law Marissa Longsworth, speaking to local media, explained how the exemption system is intended to work. “Exemptions are to be prescribed for national online broadcasters to consider that licenses should only be those that meet criteria such as commercial benefits of the broadcast, audience size, availability and accessibility to the broadcast, and frequency,” she said. “So the way this act will work is that once you broadcast online, you will fall within this act. The question comes whether you should be licensed for that purpose.”
Longsworth illustrated with a relatable example: a person going live on Facebook to some 900 friends, with perhaps 20 watching, on a private page. “If you report me to the BBA, the BBA will look at that and say, well, how many people did Marissa reach during that live? How many times did Marissa do a broadcast? Did she do a weekly podcast show? She has sponsors?” she explained. “Is there a commercial benefit being derived from her online podcast? That is a consideration. How frequent does she broadcast? That is a consideration. Who has access to her broadcast? Is it the general public? Is it a special group? Is it a very small group? That is a consideration.”
In short, the casual user going live for friends is not the target. The regular broadcaster with an audience, sponsors, and a schedule is.
The proposal raises questions that deserve a vigorous national conversation. How will licensing criteria be applied in practice, and by whom? What safeguards will ensure the framework regulates without restricting the press freedom that a healthy democracy requires? And how will the many Belizeans who have built livelihoods as online creators, from news pages to podcasters to entertainment channels, be affected?
Those questions arrive in the same week that a Belizean journalist earned a regional press freedom nomination, a reminder of both the strength of Belize’s media tradition and the stakes of getting this legislation right.
For now, the act remains a proposal in stakeholder consultation, and that consultation is where the details will be tested. Every Belizean with a page, a podcast, or a platform has reason to follow it closely. We certainly will.
The post New broadcasting law would put online creators under licence appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The rules of Belize’s information landscape may be about to change fundamentally. The proposed Broadcasting Act, 2026, released to stakeholders last week Thursday, promises sweeping changes that would bring online broadcasters, streaming services, and social media content creators under unprecedented government oversight and licensing requirements. In the interest of
The post New broadcasting law would put online creators under licence appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
