THE BROADCAST BILL

Jul 30, 2011 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Many decades ago, citizens were told that responsibility for the parapets in front of their homes was theirs. They had to cut it and keep it clean.
There were complaints when this decision was announced and many homeowners asked what about the rates and taxes they paid. They simply did not want to take on the responsibility even though it was for the good of their communities.
A few years ago, the government decided that in the interest of public safety that tints had to be removed from all vehicles.
The minibuses in Guyana created uproar and launched a campaign demanding that they be allowed to keep the tints in their vehicles.
This position was adopted despite the problems with security in the country and the need to ensure that drivers and passengers can be better seen within their vehicles for security purposes.
That episode reflected how averse people are to the passing of regulation that affect some aspect of their lives. Resistance is always forthcoming when government tries to intrude in the lives of other people and this resistance is stronger when it involves sectors of the business class.
Well, if it was quite a task to convince the minibus community that in the interest of public safety there was a need to regulate their operations, imagine what a hard-sell it was going to be to convince the powerful broadcast community that their operations are now going to be subject to greater regulation with the passage of the broadcast law.
There are many broadcasters who were always averse to regulation. They never wanted it because they preferred the Wild West situation where their oligopoly mattered and where they were free to do and say whatever they wanted on television with fear of sanction.
Of course they complained that this was an attempt by the government to control their operations. This tune is going to be sung again.
The fact is that some broadcasters simply are not comfortable with any regulation at all.
The broadcasters have not spoken as yet but when they do you can expect that some of them will not have nice things to say about the legislation.
It is from sections of the existing broadcasting community that the government no doubt expected the greatest resistance to the recently passed broadcast legislation. But instead the first salvo has been fired by the main opposition who walked out of parliament after stating their objection to the new law.
The opposition claims lack of adequate consultation and a breach of the spirit of the Dialogue Agreement which between former President Hoyte and President Jagdeo.
It is interesting that the opposition still harks back to that dialogue which had run its course and which was in any event superseded by a subsequent constructive engagement between the now leader of the opposition and the President.
It matters not, as the AFC, has indicated that this Bill was the handiwork of both the PNCR and the PPP since substantively the present law was the same one that was developed by team involving Mr. Deryck Bernard of the PNC.
That draft is the one that finds substantive expression in the new law and since the AFC feels that its mirrors one that they had tabled in 2008, they voted for the Bill while the PNCR walked out.
The PNCR has a justifiable bone to pick. It points out that there was inadequate consultation and wanted the Bill to go to a Select Committee. There is an understanding between the parties that major legislation would go to a select committee.
But they know better than most that once that Bill goes to select committee it will be effectively buried in that process for the next five years.
In the meantime, Guyana would not have a broadcast bill and would find itself in serious problems in complying within a High Court ruling that applications for broadcast licenses be proceeded.
The government therefore had to bite the bullet and ram the Bill through. To have done otherwise would have amounted to no progress.
The timing of the passage of the Bill has to do with elections.
It is however not about the government assuming greater control in the run up to elections.
Instead, the government wants to keep its manifesto promises to have this legislation passed, so that it can go to the electorate and say, “we have done all we said we would have done.”
Two months from now, everyone is going to forget about the Broadcasting Bill. The private television stations are going to live with the law.
It is not the law that they have to worry about. It is the cable guys who will run them out of business within the next few years.

Latest News

THE BROADCAST BILL

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 31st, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Twin tons from Anderson, Imlach steer Eagles back on course

Race for quarterfinal spots commence today at MoE...

Marsh sets up Lucknow’s comfortable win...

‘One Guyana’ 3×3 Quest tips off today

Saints and GTI dominate as YBG Georgetown...

Carty misses ton, Hamilton (80) sets up tense...

Features/Columnists

The One-Man Republic

The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation

Polls – what they say, where I stand

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

THE BROADCAST BILL

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 31st, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]