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Complete review of cable industry imminent – GNBA Chairman
A complete review of the cable industry is imminent, says Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting
GNBA Chairman, Leonard Craig
Authority (GNBA), Leonard Craig. At a recent press conference held at GNBA’s Kingston office, Craig, in the presence of the other Board members told the media that the Board is not comfortable with the current state of affairs.
The Chairman said that deliberations are still in process with respect to fees for the cable systems. He also indicated that the Board is in dialogue with the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) on issues relating to the allocation of frequencies.
“The board is of the opinion that an unfair advantage exists with respect to spectrum use, creating virtual monopolies for the certain favoured individuals. A complete review is recommended.”
Last evening the Chairman told Kaieteur News that the Board has already started the review process. He said that it has been decided that the review will be done in stages. First, the Board will be looking at the industry as a whole with a view to developing a way forward for the industry in the interest of the people of Guyana.
“We are looking at the make-up of the industry in Guyana, comparing it to the rest of the world to see how we can make Guyana better in this regard.”
Craig said that the Board will then move on to addressing individual companies and the “favoured ones.”
The Chairman said that the Board has given itself a timeline. “By the end of the month we as a Board will be able to face the media and say where we are in this process and how we will go about clamping down on certain issues.”
Craig was keen to note that there can be variances with the timeline, but said “that is my estimation.’
A little before former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, stepped down from office, he gave a gift to a few, some of whom are now cable operators. None of the established cable television operators were considered. Rather, two newcomers, E-Networks Inc. and Quark Communications Inc., were both granted permission to broadcast cable TV over the 2.5GHz frequency band.
E-Network is controlled by Vishok Persaud, son of former PPP Parliamentarian, Reepu Daman Persaud, while Quark Communications is owned by Brian Yong, a candidate for the ruling party in the 2011 General and Regional Elections. Both are close friends of Jagdeo.
Frequencies are limited resources under strict monitoring by governments worldwide.
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