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Addressing the Prime Minister’s contention

Feb 20, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
As predicted, the Prime Minister has taken the route that CCTV is not the Broadcaster; it is the Guyana Governments’ owned and controlled NCN. I had written elsewhere that “The Government of Guyana (GOG) would clarify its position by saying that the China Central TV Network (CCTV) was merely using airtime on a National Communications Network’s frequency and license”.
The Prime Minister rushed to make it clear that No Licence was issued to a Foreign Broadcaster. He added that “this is a business arrangement of NCN.  At that time, Channel 29/Cable 80 was earmarked to NCN for part-use in re-broadcasting CCTV programmes, but when the Learning Channel came along in early 2011, NCN began utilizing that previously earmarked Channel for the Learning Channel.  Consequently, in 2012, when the re-broadcasts were to begin, Channel 27/Cable 78 was instead assigned as a substitute.”
One does not want to misunderstand the Prime Minister. Is he really saying that NCN was given a channel in 2012 by the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) to facilitate the Foreign Broadcaster? If the Government bypassed the NFMU and latterly the Guyana National Broadcast Authority then what the Prime Minister is in fact saying is that the National Communications Network (NCN) arrogated to itself three Frequencies in the VHF/UHF band in Georgetown.
This brings us back to my original question about the available frequencies and what allocations have been made by the National Frequency Management Unit. How are Guyanese and other Caricom Nationals to invest in the limited electromagnetic spectrum if they do not know what is available and if the Administration can by a call to the NFMU allocate frequencies to itself and others?
Is another dangerous precedent is being set?  Is the Government squeezing out “freedom of expression” by allocation?
Member of Parliament for the AFC, Catherine Hughes, submitted two sets of questions to the National Assembly according to the Order Papers for this month of February. The prime minister in his statement, preempting the answers in the House, has made the issue one of whether it was done under the Broadcast regulations. I shall await with bated breath the answers to the other questions raised.
I shall also await an answer to what is the difference between this international agreement and the domestic agreement on the Channel in Linden. Could the National Broadcaster allow the Regional Broadcaster to regain the Frequency in Linden to relay what the people in the Region want?
Later I shall raise questions on Frequency Allocations that have had an effect on GTT and Digicel and on the stewardship of the Director of Telecommunications but let us not confuse the issues.
Enrico Woolford

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