Linden still waiting for transmitter, dish

Jun 12, 2013 News

– Parliamentary debate to mount pressure on govt. to deliver

The town of Linden is looking to up pressure on government to deliver on its promises, such as handing over a dish and transmitter, so it can get to start broadcasting when it is granted a licence.
The government in an August 21,2012 agreement had promised to hand over the dish and transmitter to the town within two weeks, but a little more than nine months later, the representatives of the town are still to get the transmitter and dish.
However, Region Ten Chairman Sharma Solomon said that the Region has taken possession of the area where the dish is located and facilities are being built to house the television station.
The government has told representatives of the Region that the transmitter is not in a working condition.
“If they knew that the transmitter wasn’t in operation then why did they say they were going to give us the transmitter? It is clear the intention was not to give us anything,” Solomon stated.
He said that the Region is pressing for the operation of Channel 13 as part of the deal for the handing over of the transmitter.
The matter is expected to come to the forefront in the National Assembly tomorrow in a motion tabled by Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon.
Kissoon had helped shape the agreement with government as a way of ending protests in the town when three Lindeners were shot dead on the first day of protests against electricity rate hikes in the town.
After the agreement was signed, Linden was told that it cannot be granted a radio licence by the government but that it had to apply for a licence to broadcast like any other person interested in broadcasting.
Representatives of the town had argued that that was not the agreement. However, they abided by the government’s request and have finalized persons who will form the Board of Trustees. These include Solomon himself.
That application process has been somewhat delayed, Kissoon told Kaieteur News yesterday.
“We have taken some time to gather all the documents and paperwork that was needed, but the application will go in shortly,” she said.
This was confirmed by Solomon.
The government had argued that it would facilitate the granting of the licence in keeping with the law. And so, it said the town must follow the current law and apply to the National Broadcasting Authority.
The Authority’s chairperson Bibi Shadick has said that the application would be fast tracked once it is submitted.
Solomon said that as per the agreement, the Region will compile the necessary documents and hand it over to the government negotiators who will then facilitate the licencing process with the Broadcasting Authority.
Shortly before he stepped down, former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, issued licences to his close friends and party members in what has widely been described as biased distribution.
Opposition parties in the National Assembly and private media operators have condemned the process in which the licences were issued and have called for them to be revoked.
Lindeners also applied to the National Frequency Management Unit along with their broadcast plan and the technical specifications of the installation, all of which were submitted by the end of August 2012.
In a motion tabled in the National Assembly, Kissoon noted that “months after the signing of the Agreement many aspects of the Agreement have not been implemented, especially the commitment to return the dish and transmitter to the people of Linden….”
She wants the National Assembly to call on Government to immediately adhere to its commitments and obligations under the written agreement of August 21,2012.

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Linden still waiting for transmitter, dish

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Linden still waiting for transmitter, dish

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