Broadcasting Authority had nothing to do with recent licences

Mar 20, 2013 News

Despite the fact that a Broadcasting Bill was passed in the National Assembly in July 2011 and assented to by President Bharrat Jagdeo in September of the same year; and despite the fact that Cabinet approved the governing board of the Guyana National Broadcast Authority (GNBA) in the same month, Chairman of GNBA, Bibi Shadick, yesterday told Kaieteur News that she had nothing to do with the issuance of licences in November of that year.
Who issued the 24 radio licences that Prime Minister Sam Hinds disclosed were granted in November 2011 if the authority mandated to administer such duties didn’t? Why did Cabinet approve this body if micro management had to be forced upon it?
Shadick told Kaieteur News yesterday that the agency she controls was formed after the issuance of these licences. She is now in the process of regularizing the licence issue, trying to legalise the situation retroactively.
The governing board is statutorily tasked with licensing the broadcast sector and ensuring compliance among broadcasters with the provisions of the Broadcast Act.
Prime Minster Hinds, through his answers to a question laid in the National Assembly by Alliance For Change (AFC) Catharine Hughes, disclosed that those licences were issued in November of 2011.
Former President Jagdeo’s best friend was issued nine radio/television channels. According to one parliamentarian, “as if that move alone was not biased enough,” Minister Robert Persaud’s Deputy Permanent Secretary Omkar Lochan and Dharamkumar Seeraj of Mirror Newspaper were each granted five radio channels.
Also, Anand Persaud of NTN 69, part owner of Hits and Jams Rawle Ferguson, Rudy Grant, Maxwell Thom of Wireless Connections and Alfro Alphonso were each granted one radio frequency.
And double checks made by this Newspaper showed that the board to govern GNBA was appointed in early September.
However, Shadick told this publication that GNBS is in possession of documentations from some individuals granted licences. She said that from today, her team will be going through those bits of paper to ensure that all details adhere to the stipulations set out by the broadcasting Act.
Asked if any of the licences can be revoked, Shadick said that those can be revoked once details aren’t in accordance with the Act. But she was not certain that she could revoke those licences. She asked the nation to adopt a wait and see attitude to the episode.
Kaieteur News understands that once the Minister of Information- the President, who at that time was Jagdeo, issued licences they can’t be revoked.

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Broadcasting Authority had nothing to do with recent licences

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