Cable instead of radio/TV…Brian Yong admits he got more than he bargain for

Mar 21, 2013 News

Brian Yong, one of the persons favoured by former President Bharrat Jagdeo to receive a cable licence to operate his digital TV and satellite communications business, has now admitted that he got more than he asked for.

Brian Yong

In 1999, Yong applied for licences to establish a radio and television station. He never got a response on his application, but when he was ready to get into his digital business, he needed a licence.
In a newspaper report yesterday,Yong said that he applied for radio and TV licences, but did not commit himself to saying that he did the same for a cable licence to operate his digital communications business.
However, once he was ready to switch on, he was presented a licence by Jagdeo. That happened in December 2010. He was given frequencies on the 2.5 Gigahertz (GHz) band.
In radio communications, Gigahertz (GHz) is used to define bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, with different bands assigned different uses. S-Band, for example, is a band of spectrum between 2 and 4 GHz. Common technologies such as television, Bluetooth, wireless internet, and cordless telephones operate in the S-Band.
Yong is one of the persons who has admitted that he is a close friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. His company, Quark Communications Inc. and a number of others with close ties to the ruling party was singled out by former President Bharrat Jagdeo and handed licences to conduct operations using airwaves. In the case of Quark, it was for the broadcasting packaged digital television programs, mainly from North America, to residents.
There are indications now that he established his company even before his licence was approved by Jagdeo- an indication that he knew beforehand that he would receive positive news. Last week, under pressure from the Opposition, the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), told the National Assembly that Jagdeo gave his best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop five radio frequencies; New Guyana Company Limited five, and Telcor and Cultural Broadcasting Inc another five.
There have been widespread condemnations, of the allocations of the licences by local media bodies… the Guyana Press Association (GPA) and the Guyana Media Proprietors Association (GMPA).

Bharrat Jagdeo

The licences have been a contentious issue with stakeholders, including Government and the opposition, agreeing that no new TV or radio licences would have issued before new legislations that included the establishment of an independent authority.
The Broadcast Act was assented to in 2011 and government waited almost an entire year before packing the board mostly with senior party officials.
The opposition and media bodies have since denounced the process used to issue the licences.