Prime Minister Sam Hinds’ revelation in Parliament on Thursday that multiple radio frequencies were handed out shortly before the November, 2011 general election to several persons has deepened criticism of the process as it is being argued that frequencies were assigned to friends of the administration while others have been ignored.
Veteran broadcaster Enrico Woolford charged that Hinds’ explanation substantiated concerns that the government had “copped” the radio spectrum for its friends.
Several of the entities received as many as five frequencies apiece for radio broadcasting which critics said will permit them to blanket the country with their signal while worthier applicants have been ignored.
Hinds made the disclosures while responding to questions put to him by Alliance For Change Member of Parliament Cathy Hughes.
Hughes asked the PM to say which channels and radio frequencies have been allocated for television and radio broadcast in Guyana; to provide the names of the individuals and companies including their directors; the frequencies and channels established between 1992 and 2012. She also asked the Prime Minister to say what frequencies are available for television and radio broadcast
These included NCN with five frequencies; Radio Guyana Inc with five frequencies allocated in November 2011; Telcor and Cultural Broadcasting Inc with five frequencies allocated in 2011; NTN Radio with one frequency allocated in November 2011; New Guyana Company Inc with five frequencies allocated in November 2011; Rudy Grant with one frequency allocated in November 2011; Wireless Connection with one frequency allocated in November 2011; Hits and Jams Entertainment with one frequency allocated in November 2011; Alfro Alphonso and Sons Enterprise with one frequency allocated in November 2011; Haslyn Graham with one frequency allocated in November 2011; and Little Rock Television Station with one frequency allocated in November 2011.
In terms of television, the Prime Minister said that the broadcasting channels assigned up to December 28, 2012 were Channels 28, 12, and 25 (Television Guyana Inc); Channels 11, 27, 8, 13, 15, 21, 25, 50 (NCN inc); Channels 7; 38/Cable 89 (Rex McKay); Channel 9 (Blackman and Sons Inc); Channels 4, 21/Cable 72 (STVS 4/21 – since revoked); Channel 5 (Mohamed Yussef Ghanie – formally Neville Alert); Channel 16/Cable 67, 23/Cable 74 (HGP TV); Channel 6 (Chandra Narine Sharma (replaced Channel 12 in 1998); Channel 13 (Rambarran Broadcasting Systems Limited; Channels 10, 17 and 37 (Little Rock Television); Channel 8 (Tony Rambarran); Channel 42/Cable 93 (21st Century Communications Limited); Channel 2 (Godfrey Washington); Channel 46/Cable 102 (K.A. Juman Yassin); Channels 5, 18/Cable 69 (Brahma Prasad/Chandra Narine); Channel 8 (Alfro Alphonso); Channels 3, 5, 10, 24/Cable 75, 29/Cable 80 (Ministry of Education – Guyana Learning Channel).
Hinds said that licensing in the broadcasting sector in Guyana is in a state of transition. “This is a direct result of the Broadcast Act 2011 becoming effective on August 28, 2012. Applications for Licences to Broadcast (sound and television) are currently being accepted for processing by the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA),”Hinds said.
In a statement in response to the PM’s answer, veteran television broadcaster Woolford said that Government has “virtually admitted” that it has “copped” the Frequency Spectrum in the country “for itself and a few others including a company that printed the PPP’s Mirror.” Woolford had called several times for the list of frequency allocations to be made public.
Woolford said that the response by the Prime Minister “illustrates a haphazard approach to the development of the electromagnetic spectrum over the years.”
He said that the Prime Minister’s response failed to indicate a clear plan for investors other than for the State itself and a few others in radio, television.
“The response in the National Assembly revealed that for radio broadcasting, the State has arrogated to itself some five frequencies with just the main transmitter being in Georgetown. All the transmitters have not been established or installed as yet according to the Government. This could mean that the State has identified frequencies in such a way that broadcasts on the FM band could blanket the coast and hinterland of Guyana,” he posited.
He said that based on the information provided to the National Assembly, “Radio Guyana Inc owned by Dr. ‘Bobby’ Ramroop has been assigned five frequencies too and another company whose director is an in-law of a Member of Parliament from the PPP benches has another five.”
“Another PPP official Dharamkumar Seeraj on behalf of the New Guyana Co. of the Mirror Newspaper fame has another five,” Woolford said.
“While some have five renowned Guyanese Eddy Grant’s brother Rudy Grant has only been assigned one frequency in Georgetown. Hits and Jams Company and five other entities have one frequency each. Hits and Jams will launch its radio station at the weekend. Of the six with one frequency two are from outside of Georgetown,” he said.
“On the issue of television the Prime Minister has revealed that only one frequency is available in the VHF band and about five in the UHF band. This by the way does not take into account any applications submitted to or that are being processed by the Guyana National Broadcasting authority. If the Prime Minister’s response is comprehensive then it does not explain whether the Government has any plans for the development of the spectrum in the country other than for the State itself and a few entities,” Woolford said.
Several other applicants for radio licences were completely ignored in the process and not provided with an explanation for the snub. These applicants include the companies that print the Stabroek News and Kaieteur News.
