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GNBA notes several broadcasters operating without valid licences
…Anomaly to be addressed soon- Leslie Sobers
By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
The Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) has not turned a blind eye to the fact that
GNBA Chairman, Leslie Sobers
there are several broadcasters currently operating without valid licences. The Authority is simply looking to arm itself with the relevant legislation to govern the actions that it wants to take. The Authority’s position on this matter was conveyed by its Board Chairman, Leslie Sobers.
Sobers, an attorney-at-law, was appointed to serve as chairman a few months ago but had not been very vocal in the media. Kaieteur News made countless attempts to speak to him but all efforts proved futile until yesterday.
Sobers explained that it was not his intention to shy away from the media but he wanted to be in a good position to speak whenever he chose to do so. Also, he said that he preferred to speak to the media when he had solid and new information to share. In the meantime, the Chairman said that the Board continues to work tirelessly to complete regulations to govern the broadcasting industry.
“We are still in the process of working on the regulations…I am not stalling or brushing off the media; that is the truth. The truth is we are working assiduously to complete the regulation,” said Sobers.
He noted that the regulations being worked on are going to become law. “At present, we only have the parent law which says that the minister may make regulations to cover the broadcast industry. Those regulations will become law; they will be attached to the law, we call them subsidiary regulations.”
Sobers said that the regulations will set out the terms and conditions under which the Authority will be measuring the eligibility of persons who want to operate in the broadcasting industry along with that which is situated in the parent Act.
The Chairman said, “The parent Act is just half of the story. When we get the regulations in place we will now have the complete story and then we will turn our attention to examining those persons who have applied for broadcast licences be it for radio, television or cable and we will be examining those who are reapplying.”
Sobers said that there are currently a number of persons who are operating in the broadcast industry without valid licences. “Their licences have expired because (licences) are issued on an annual basis; so all those Broadcasters who have expired licences will have to reapply.”
The Chairman said that there are some television, radio and cable broadcasters who are holding expired licences. “This is the case in all sections but not everybody; there are some who are in that position.”
Sobers said that when GNBA addresses those broadcasters the authority will be equipped with the regulations that will be used to measure who should be reissued licences and who should be told no. “You must understand that the guidelines are in the regulations.”
The regulations spoken about by Sobers were touted by the previous GNBA Board which was chaired by Leonard Craig. That Board had claimed that it had completed a draft regulation document that it submitted to the Attorney General’s Office to be fine tuned and eventually gazetted.
But nothing ever came out of it. It is now unclear whether this Board started to draft new regulations or if it is continuing with that which was created by the previous Board.
The previous GNBA Board was plagued by discord and as a result accomplished very little or nothing at all. But, the work and expectation of any GNBA is huge. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo had issued several radio licences to his friends and family just days before existing office.
The Board, as promised by the APNU+AFC, was supposed to address the “illegal” licences and regularize the industry.
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