As the chairman of the broadcast authority, I did my work meticulously

Aug 26, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
I write to offer some further clarifications about the nature of the contributory consultations which led to the Broadcasting Amendments of 2017. Before doing so please allow me to state that it is a source of personal pride, it is now in the public domain that for a period of time I made the Boardroom of GNBA into a temporary office where I spent considerable hours.
During that period, I took the time to review every single word in every Minutes of the Board I succeeded along with Minutes of the subcommittees, I examined every available policy document going way back to the days of the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting, I examined every single application for Broadcasting License, I read every Board correspondence going in and out of the GNBA since its inception, I read every available cabinet decision regarding the Authority, I gathered information on the organizational structure and much more. Through this exercise I was able to trace organizational and regulatory efficiency levels in order to construct models for future pathways. I did not treat my appointment flippantly or with casual engagement.
As I am wont to do, I submerged myself into the tasks at hand and gave it the seriousness, thoroughness and personal effort it deserves. I know of no other way, I couldn’t possibly just ‘cock-ten’ or sky lark and use street gossip and “Dem Boys Seh” as my primary source of information upon which to arrive at informed judgments. So, yes, I am proud for having poured countless hours into these meticulous details in an effort to bring some semblance of order to broadcasting on behalf of the Guyanese people. I remain forever grateful to the management team for having provided the necessary support.
I also wish to clarify that during my perusal of the necessary documents I found that the majority of Broadcasters were not honoring their obligations as it relates to the annual broadcasting licensing fees, upon further inquiry I realized that the core method employed up to that point fell into the “Big Stick” category. I challenged management to try the “carrot method.”
The management team was not clear what range of authority they had to pursue outstanding payments since it was habitual to wait for instructions from my predecessor. I advised the team to look at other similar regulatory agencies such as GRA, GCAA, GEA and GFA; it is unusual to wait on instructions from the Chairman to go about billing clients and make arrangements to clear arrears as long as it is not expressly forbidden by law. Management subsequently approached me with a suggestion to invite each Broadcaster for a one on one meeting with the Authority to discuss their indebtedness and possibly make payments in tranches.
I could not (and did not) object because I see this as one of the fundamental functions of the Authority. At that point, I requested to sit in on the meetings for the expressed purpose of canvassing the views of Broadcasters with respect to possible adjustments to the regulatory framework to bring about (what they referred to as) “a level playing field.” On the issue of consultations, I will clarify a few points in another letter since I don’t want to make this letter too long.
Leonard Craig

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