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HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, said yesterday that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is more interested in living up to its commitment to end State radio broadcast monopoly. So far as the issues surrounding the airwaves are concerned in the “hostile” media, he added that the geographic considerations which influenced frequency allocations were deliberately downplayed and confusingly portrayed.
“Cabinet contends that the representations in the hostile media continue to be highly inflammatory and misinforming. Recent radio broadcast licensing has been recklessly portrayed,” he declared.
Addressing the media at his usual post-Cabinet briefing, at Office of the President in Georgetown, he said, “I don’t believe we were interested in removing the monopoly to the satisfaction of the hostile media, or to the satisfaction of the applicants. For us, at the end of the day, NCN (National Communications Network) that enjoyed a State radio monopoly – after the intervention of the President and the Minister of Information and Communication – no longer does,”Luncheon said, referring to the perception that radio licences were granted selectively.
The PPP/C’s ending of the monopoly, Luncheon said, would result in Guyanese becoming more enlightened is the most incisive of events surrounding the airwaves saga.
Well populated
“The new radio broadcast field is already well populated and the legislation recently enacted allows, now, for furthering of that process. These, to us in the PPP Administration, are the most salient features of this entire episode,” the HPS stated.
According to Luncheon, Cabinet feels that inadequate attention, purposefully, was paid to the distinction between licensing and frequency allocation.
“In essence, a broadcaster who is properly licensed has options depending on the scale of their intended enterprise, has options depending on what is available through the design of spectrum allocation that is current,” he explained.
Under the extant legislation, Luncheon informed that the Broadcasting Act and the Broadcasting Authority with its governing board, licensing both radio and television, is in process.
“Note should be taken that the decision which was made in 2011 to end the radio monopoly exclusively dealt with radio broadcast licensing. TV broadcast licences were not issued in 2011 because there was no question of a State TV broadcast monopoly.
“The intervention made in 2011 was to fulfil a commitment that the PPP Administration made to end State monopoly in radio. As a consequence, TV broadcast licences were not issued in 2011,” he pointed out.
“Cabinet contends that the representations in the hostile media continue to be highly inflammatory and misinforming. Recent radio broadcast licensing has been recklessly portrayed,” he declared.
Addressing the media at his usual post-Cabinet briefing, at Office of the President in Georgetown, he said, “I don’t believe we were interested in removing the monopoly to the satisfaction of the hostile media, or to the satisfaction of the applicants. For us, at the end of the day, NCN (National Communications Network) that enjoyed a State radio monopoly – after the intervention of the President and the Minister of Information and Communication – no longer does,”Luncheon said, referring to the perception that radio licences were granted selectively.
The PPP/C’s ending of the monopoly, Luncheon said, would result in Guyanese becoming more enlightened is the most incisive of events surrounding the airwaves saga.
Well populated
“The new radio broadcast field is already well populated and the legislation recently enacted allows, now, for furthering of that process. These, to us in the PPP Administration, are the most salient features of this entire episode,” the HPS stated.
According to Luncheon, Cabinet feels that inadequate attention, purposefully, was paid to the distinction between licensing and frequency allocation.
“In essence, a broadcaster who is properly licensed has options depending on the scale of their intended enterprise, has options depending on what is available through the design of spectrum allocation that is current,” he explained.
Under the extant legislation, Luncheon informed that the Broadcasting Act and the Broadcasting Authority with its governing board, licensing both radio and television, is in process.
“Note should be taken that the decision which was made in 2011 to end the radio monopoly exclusively dealt with radio broadcast licensing. TV broadcast licences were not issued in 2011 because there was no question of a State TV broadcast monopoly.
“The intervention made in 2011 was to fulfil a commitment that the PPP Administration made to end State monopoly in radio. As a consequence, TV broadcast licences were not issued in 2011,” he pointed out.
