Guyana Chronicle
May 24, 2001

THE government has declared that it is not prepared to allow the unregulated use of the airwaves to continue and is inviting owners of TV stations for talks on licensing and regulating their operations.

Prime Minister Sam Hinds, acting in his capacity as Minister of Communications, yesterday announced that he is inviting all owners of television broadcasting stations to meet him on Monday to discuss the matter.

He said the government remains committed to accelerating the process of implementing new broadcast legislation.

"In the present circumstances, however, (the) government is not prepared to allow the unregulated use of the airwaves to continue", he said.

Mr. Hinds said the government will therefore apply the current provisions of the Post and Telegraph Act and Wireless Telegraphy Regulations "until such time as an appropriate, broad-based Commission on Broadcasting is established to publicly consult and recommend the introduction of new broadcasting law."

He added that all television broadcasters are being invited to immediately apply for licences.

This licence will include terms and conditions governing both the technical standards and the content of the broadcast programme material.

The Prime Minister said he also intends to establish a broad-based committee to advise him on whether the content of programmes broadcast are adhering to the guidelines of the Media Code of Conduct drawn up for the March 19 elections.

Observers, including regional and international media consultants, have said that some TV stations here have been openly flouting internationally accepted standards of broadcasting, especially in the run-up to and since the March elections.

Some TV talk show hosts have been accused of stirring violence and racism.

The Prime Minister, in a statement yesterday, noted that television broadcasters came to Guyana at the end of the 1980's in a "somewhat informal improvised manner."

"For various periods of time, a number of television broadcasters applied for and were granted licences under the Post and Telegraph Act Chapter 47:01, being required to operate in accordance with the Wireless Telegraphy Regulations made under Section 63(5) of the Act", he noted.

He recalled that the government has sought to obtain public consensus on the introduction of new legislation specifically for broadcasting to the public.

Mr. Hinds noted that the administration had commissioned a report by consultant Mr. Rafiq Khan and had the benefit of a UNESCO mission report by Mr. Martin Mordecai in 1995, which informed subsequent draft broadcasting bills which were presented for public consideration.

At a seminar on June 28 last year by the Ministry of Information with the owners and operators of television broadcasting stations, it was agreed to establish a Committee on Broadcasting Legislation tasked with the responsibility of making recommendations for proceeding with new broadcasting legislation and the establishment of a Broadcasting Authority.

The Prime Minister said the seminar acknowledged that the electromagnetic spectrum is a national, natural resource to be used and regulated for the purpose of public and commercial broadcasting in order to serve the public interest and convenience, and that Guyana should update its broadcasting laws to incorporate a national broadcasting system and provide a legislative framework appropriate to the country's experience and needs.

While the committee's report remains to be submitted, the government decided that the current legislation governing the issue of broadcast licences, however inadequate, must be fully applied and observed until such time as new legislation is passed, he reported.

He noted that the Independent Media Monitoring and Refereeing Panel, convened by the media for the purpose of monitoring compliance with a Media Code of Conduct established by the media for reporting during the elections period, concluded that certain television broadcasting stations "pushed the limits of irresponsibility to dangerous and incendiary levels".

The Prime Minister recalled that the panel concluded that most media outlets "ignored the guidelines to the Media Code of Conduct."

He pointed out that the media panel, supported by the reports of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Media Monitoring Unit, concluded that:

"The complete lack of regulation of television has led to a situation where the linking of broadcast licences to the need for community responsibility is completely absent in Guyana."

The media panel emphasised "the urgent need to enact new broadcasting legislation that would ensure that those who use our airwaves are held to certain standards of community service and professional behaviour", Mr. Hinds added.