Radio licence hinges on Broadcast legislation

Oct 17, 2009 News

The issuance of radio broadcast licence in light of the recent ruling of Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh, will still hinge on the passage of the Broadcast Legislation which according to the government will provide the necessary framework under which licensing can be done transparently and without caprice.
According to the government, the administration is certain that demonopolisation of the sector by granting licences cannot be properly done without the resort to a statutory framework.
“It is the Administration’s considered view that liberalisation in the absence of such a framework could invite a repetition of the well publicised television licensing debacle and its associated disorder….
“In that regard, the administration notes that its concerns were repeatedly expressed about the likely impact of the lack of such a framework on any licensing exercise.”
These concerns, according to the administration, led to the undertaking of the enactment of broadcast legislation.
“The Administration has advised that Broadcast Legislation is on its priority list and will be tabled in Parliament during this session of Parliament.”
It was also pointed out that the Chancellor’s ruling is not inconsistent with the position of the Administration to end the monopoly on radio in that it has been consistently made manifest by President Jagdeo to the effect that the government is committed to the liberalisation of the sector.
On August 28, last, President Bharrat Jagdeo, whilst urging businessmen to invest more in Guyana, promised that by next year there will be Broadcast Legislation and as such the government monopoly on radio will be broken and private individuals will be allowed to access radio licences.
As it relates to the granting of licences for additional television stations, the President told the gathering at the Private Sector Commission dinner, one month ago, that Guyana already has in excess of 20 television stations and that he did not want a replete of squatting on the airwaves.
Alliance for Change Chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan, had dismissed that notion by the President as mischievous since “he has gotten wind of the AFC’s intention to present its Draft to the National Assembly in October.”
Ramjattan also recalled that the President had lied to the nation already as it relates to the Freedom of Information Legislation.
More recently, on October 1, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, during a weekly post Cabinet press briefing, said that the Broadcast legislation was among the priority bills to be tabled in parliament upon its resumption from recess.
According to Dr Luncheon, the Bills identified were significant pieces of the legislation but at the time could not vouch for their origin adding that he was certain they will be tabled and gazetted.
He was responding to a question about whether the Bills were those of previous drafts pointing out that when they become gazetted one would be able to discern whether they are akin to any previous drafts.
The National Assembly resumed sitting on Thursday last but broadcast legislation was not on the order paper for a first reading.

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Radio licence hinges on Broadcast legislation

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