Govt to relax hefty fines imposed on radio stations
The government says it will relax the hefty fines imposed on more than 100 radio stations by the National Communications Authority (NCA) only if the owners of the affected stations pay substantial parts of the fines.
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Speaking with journalists at Parliament House in Accra on Tuesday, the Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said it was only after the payment of substantial amounts that the government would agree on payment terms for the remainder of the fines.
"The government will be amenable to the station owners but they have to show good faith that they will pay," she said.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, however, cautioned radio stations whose licences had been revoked to cease operations, since their continued operation was an act of illegality.
She said the NCA had been clothed with the authority to go round to close down such offending radio stations.
The NCA last week Thursday announced that it had sanctioned 131 radio stations for violating certain aspects of the Electronics Communications Act (2009), Act 775.
The stations include Accra-based Radio Gold, Atlantis Radio, Radio XYZ, Atinka FM and Vision 1 FM.
A further 13 FM authorisation holders had also been issued with reprieves as pertains to their authorisations.
Thirty-four radio stations had had their authorisations revoked completely for failing to renew their licences after they expired over several years.
The sanctions follow the completion of a nationwide FM Spectrum Audit conducted this year to determine compliance of authorisation holders with their authorisation conditions and determine which FM stations were in operation or otherwise, a statement released by the NCA last Thursday said.
Of the notable stations, Radio XYZ had been fined GH¢4,090,000; Atinka FM, GH¢14,800,000, while Radio Gold and Atlantis Radio picked up the heftiest fines of GH¢61,330,000 and GH¢ 60,350,000, respectively.
Some owners of the affected radio stations have indicated that the fines are too huge and they cannot raise the money to pay them.
Following the NCA's action, the Minority in Parliament said it was troubled by the ongoing exercise by the NCA which had led to selected media houses being subjected to very steep regulatory sanctions.
A statement from the Ranking Member on the Communications Committee, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini, said: “While we acknowledge the NCA’s right to regulate the communications sector in a manner that ensures compliance with appropriate regulations, we are alarmed by the sweeping and heavy-handed approach under the current exercise.”
No political motives
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful defended the revocation of licences and hefty fines imposed on the 131 radio stations.
She said the punitive actions taken by the NCA were in compliance with the Electronics Communications Act.
She noted that it was wrong to suggest that the revocation of licences and the fines were politically motivated, saying there were no political motives to the action and that it was meant to enforce compliance with laid down rules.
No discriminatory treatment
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful dismissed the suggestion that radio stations should be given special dispensation in the enforcement of laws, since they provided invaluable services for the citizenry.
She said no one was above the law and that once some radio stations were found to have engaged in acts of illegality, they should be sanctioned as such.
She said the NCA should rather be commended for enforcing the laws.