Ningo Prampram Lawmaker, Samuel Nartey George who is additionally a Ranking Member on the parliamentary select advisory group on interchanges, has said thanks to the previous Chairman of the Committee Mr Kennedy Agyapong, the Minister of Communications, Madam Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, Ranking Member on the board ABA Fuseini for the job they played in getting the shut radio broadcasts back on air.
Talking on the declaration of the returning of the stations in meet on the News 360 on TV3 Tuesday October 12, Sam George said "This is an inviting information, we are appreciative to the new leading group of the NCA for bringing through what has been four years of distress for the proprietors of the radio broadcasts and their staff.
"The parliamentary select panel interceded in this and had a few gatherings with the Ministry, with the administration of the NCA , the administration of the radio broadcasts. Today, for my purposes, is a glad day since it finishes a long fight.
"I will say an exceptionally huge thank you to previous seat of the Committee Hon Ken Agyapong, Honorable Opare Ansah , my Ranking part ABA Fuseini , previous Board Chair of the NCA Kwaku Sakyi Addo, the flow board seat Mr Isaac Osei Bonsu, Honorable Haruna Iddrisu and unquestionably the Minister for Communications for working alongside us. We have had our questions, we have hadour contentions, warmed discussion on the floor of parliament.
"Most importantly the free of the media has win today."
The Governing Board of the NCA has endorsed the award of an aggregate of One Hundred and Thirty Three (133) FM radio telecom authorisations which incorporate new applications from substances whose FM radio broadcasts were shut down after the 2017 FM Audit just as existing stations which applied for restoration of their terminated FM Radio telecom authorisations.
The endorsement was done at a Board meeting hung on eleventh October, 2021.
An assertion gave by the NCA on Tuesday October 12 said this endorsement from the Board is dependent upon the candidates going to a sensitisation studio on the agreements of FM radio telecom authorisations.
"The studio will explain the lawful, administrative, and specialized prerequisites for the foundation and activity of a FM Radio Broadcasting station.
"Temporary authorisations will be given to the fruitful candidates toward the finish of the studio and frequencies will be relegated to the candidates just upon the satisfaction of the states of the Provisional Authorisation.
"The overall population is reminded that per Section 2(4) of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008, Act 775, an individual will not work a telecom framework or give a telecom administration without a recurrence authorisation by the Authority.
"Wrongdoers are responsible on synopsis conviction to a fine of not multiple thousand punishment units or to a term of detainment of not over five years or to both, according to Section 73 of Act 775 of 2008."
The NCA shut down Radio Gold and Radio XYZ, and a few others.
An assertion gave by the NCA in Accra on May 9, 2019, said the terminations were completed in accordance with Regulations 65 (1) of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011, L. I. 1991, which expresses that "An individual will not utilize a radio recurrence without authorisation from the Authority."
Alluding to a 2018 decision by the Electronic Communications Tribunal on the situation with FM stations with terminated authorisation, the NCA said "Organizations whose authorisations had lapsed returned to a similar situation as a new candidate," adding that "these applications will go through the necessary technique for new FM Broadcasting Authorisation."
The controller didn't specify the two stations, suggesting that it was an overall exercise. Nonetheless, just Radio XYZ and Radio Gold have been shut up until now. Authorities of the NCA, upheld by outfitted cops, raged the premises of the radio broadcasts to authorize the closure in the early evening of May 9.
This is the second time in under two years that the controller has utilized its muscles against "defaulting stations." In September, 2017, the NCA completed a monstrous cleanse of the telecom business that saw an aggregate of 34 radio and TV slots being closed down for different infractions, in requirement of Section 13 of the Electronics Communications Act (2009), Act 775.
The controller additionally forced fines on various stations going from GHC50,000 (US$11,000) to GHC61,000,000 (US$13.8 million) contingent upon the infraction and the length the infraction continued.