PUTRAJAYA, May 7 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is strengthening consumer protection through improvements to the Mandatory Standards for Quality of Service (Content Applications Service), which set clearer requirements for Content Applications Service Providers (CASP).

It said the updated standard aims to enhance service reliability, strengthen accountability and ensure more effective handling of customer complaints.

“This applies to all CASP providing content services for television and radio nationwide, including free-to-air television broadcasting, subscription television services and terrestrial radio broadcasting,” it said in a statement today.

MCMC said 34 active CASP will be subject to the standard.

The commission said the new standard places greater emphasis on actual service performance delivered to users, rather than merely ensuring services remain operational.

“CASP are now subject to higher levels of accountability, particularly in terms of service availability, performance monitoring and timely resolution of service issues,” it said.

MCMC said a key feature of the strengthened regulatory framework is its broader scope, covering both subscription and non-subscription content application services.

It added that the updated standard also introduces stronger reporting and governance requirements, clearer service quality benchmarks and stricter complaint resolution obligations.

“The improvements also include enhanced complaint resolution timelines, including for non-billing-related complaints, with clearer and more comprehensive requirements. Emphasis is also placed on overall service experience, response times, record-keeping and performance transparency.

“These improvements aim to ensure customer complaints are handled more effectively, service disruptions are addressed more quickly, and issues are resolved in a reasonable and user-acceptable manner,” it said.

MCMC said compliance will be monitored through periodic Quality of Service (QoS) performance reports submitted by CASP, along with complete and auditable record-keeping for at least two years.

“The commission may also conduct service audits, sampling and observations, and may publish performance results to promote transparency,” it said.

The improvements are implemented through the issuance of the Commission Determination on Mandatory Standards for Quality of Service (Content Applications Service) and the revocation of Determination No. 4 of 2002 under Determination No. 2 of 2026.

Through the determination, MCMC reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a fair, reliable and customer-centric communications and multimedia ecosystem. — Bernama

Inquiry set up by rightwing politician recommends merging major channels and slashing TV entertainment budgets by 75%

French politicians on the left and centre have criticised a parliament inquiry report that recommends sweeping cuts to public broadcasting, with a row over culture wars building before next year’s presidential election.

State broadcasting is a key topic in the run-up to next April’s vote. The far right, which is leading in the polls, is highly critical of public TV and radio and is vowing to privatise it.

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The ocean provides half the oxygen we breathe, absorbs 30% of our carbon emissions, and helps control the planet’s climate. By 2030, it’s expected to support a $3.2 trillion Blue Economy. Yet 70% of proven ocean solutions, such as coastal resilience, coral restoration, and marine pollution cleanup, never move past the pilot stage. These projects often win awards and get media attention, but then stall because funding systems don’t connect working ideas with the cities, ports, and coastal areas that need them. Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, co-founder and ocean lead at Okhtapus, wants to change that. Okhtapus, named with the Persian word for the octopus, uses a model that links what Stewart calls “the three hearts” of successful projects: innovators with proven solutions, cities and ports ready to use them, and funders looking for solid projects.

The first Okhtapus Global Replicator will launch in 2026. It will bring groups of proven innovators to work on important projects in specific places, such as a single port city like Barcelona, where Okhtapus already has strong partnerships, or a group of Caribbean islands facing similar problems. The aim is to have enough successful projects that funders stop asking “where are the deals?” and start saying “we’ve got enough.” The platform focuses on late-stage startups and scale-ups, not early-stage ideas. Stewart calls these the “Goldilocks zone”—solutions that are proven enough to copy but still need funding and partners to grow. By combining several solutions for different locations, Okhtapus can offer investors portfolios that fit their needs and make a real difference in cities, ports, and island nations.

Stewart has spent 20 years working where climate resilience and policy meet. He was part of President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, led policy and investments at the Resilient Cities Network, and is now Managing Director of the World Ocean Council. “Ten years from now, if this is done fast enough,” Stewart said, “we should have pushed hard enough on the funders and the system to change it. What we don’t know is whether we’ll get to the solution status fast enough for some of these tipping points.”

To find out more about Okhtapus, visit okhtapus.org.

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Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on December 22, 2025.

The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Okhtapus Cofounder Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Accelerates Ocean Solutions appeared first on Earth911.