Broadcast Authority awaiting legal advice on revocation of radio licences matter

TIMES INT'L
Head of the GNBA, Leonard Craig
Head of the GNBA, Leonard Craig

Head of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), Leonard Craig says that no official decision has been taken to revoke radio licences which were issued by the previous Government following a recommendation from one of the entity’s subcommittees on the matter.

He also said that he could not say if the Authority would be moving to revoke the licences of radio owners now since the matter was under discussion and the body was receiving legal advice.

Back in October last year, Craig had said that the reviewing of radio licences issued by the former Government did not mean that they would be revoked.

“All licences will be reviewed, but review is not necessarily synonymous with revocation. Whatever is done here, during the review process, will be fair, transparent and above board. I am not in a position to say what form or shape it would look like, that is a decision the entire Board would have to make,” the GNBA Head had stated.

He said he thought the move by the previous Government to issue the licences in that manner was wrong; however, there was no confirmation that those who benefited would have their licences taken away.

Craig, speaking to an online news agency, said further discussions on the issue would be had when the Board met later this month.

Among the persons who were issued licences by the previous Government were Robert Persaud, the Little Rock Television Station (Berbice), Hits and Jams, Maxwell Thom, Dr Bobby Ramroop, Alfro Alphonso, Haslyn Graham and Anand Persaud.

But when contacted, the Sub-Committee’s Chairman, Anthony Vieira, maintained during an interview with Guyana Times International on Tuesday that the GNBA would be moving to revoke the licences issued to persons since it was found that they were handed down through illegal means.

His comments conflict with the position put forward by the GNBA Chairman.

The move, he said, will first have to be gazetted. He confirmed too that the body would before that meet with the holders of these licences for consultation. He said he could not give a timeframe as to when this would happen, but enforced that from the beginning of 2016, the licences were all considered invalid.

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