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General News of Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2019-05-28
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The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) has kicked off against the Ministry of Communication's policy to block free-to-air (FTA) television content in the country.
According to the badociation, if allowed, the policy would be wipe away FTA public service broadcasting and the public's right to freely access television programming and Ghanaian households would rely on it.
A statement issued by GIBA said it had the Ministry of Information (MoC), the Ministry of Information, the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communication and other stakeholders over the years, it raised.
"GIBA would like to reiterate that it was not part of the meeting of the MoC to finalize the policy document, as stated by the minister," it said.
It is planned with the launch of the Ministry of Free TV Ghana and its conditional access (CA) encryption system, all the millions of NCA certified TV sets throughout Ghana would abruptly stop receiving free-to-air TV program content.
It said it would be possible to have access to CA encryption key after the acquisition of the MoC's CA-controlled decoder.
"Digital TV sets already certified by the NCA which are in shops, stores and warehouses across the country can not receive FTA digital TV programs any longer than buyers or the MoC's prescribed CA-controlled decoder in addition," it said.
Major effect
The statement said a major effect of the ministry's policy shift and the suspension of the import, manufacture and use of current NCA certified digital television sets and set-top-boxes, as well as all other digital TV devices, would be the termination of globally Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Hisense, Sony, Nasco, Akai, and every FTA decoder in Ghana for FTA digital TV reception.
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) free-to-air content program, except one acquires the MoC-prescribed decoders in addition to viewers to be able to access their favorite free-to-air TV programs when this happens, "it said.
It wondered why television viewers should rely only on the MoC's prescribed decoders, while the global brands would still be manufacturing digital TV sets for the rest of the world.
Can it be said that FTA broadcasting through an intermediary content-blocking mechanism would make mbad media communication vulnerable.
Monopoly
The statement says that it can not be guaranteed if mbad media programs would be broadcast to an intermediary blocking / encryption device. hands and control of another entity.
"GIBA disagrees with the set-up of a monopoly DTT platform to be installed with the technology that controls the delivery of FTA programs, which can only be accessed through monopoly CA-controlled decoders recommended by the MoC," it said. .
It said the ministry's plan to sponsor the DDT receiver standards at the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) was to support the introduction of a proprietary brand of TV service called "Free tv ghana" that used the conditional access mechanism .
It said "Free TV Ghana" was not discussed with stakeholders, nor was it stated anywhere in the draft DDT policy document.
Looming danger
The statement cautioned that the plans, as in the MoC's draft DTT broadcasting policy, were a danger to the FTA broadcasting industry, stressing that "it is an attack on the freedom and independence of the media in Ghana if left unchecked ".
It said GIBA also disagreed with the Monopoly DTT infrastructure company, to be the President of the National Media Commission (NMC) in order to insulate the broadcast media from governmental control.
"GIBA is calling on all Ghanaians to wake up and embrace only what is good and good for the growth of Motherland Ghana.
"We are urging the MoC to hold off implementation of the draft policy and engage with the key stakeholders for proper stakeholder validation," it said.
background
The migration from badog to DTT involves a process in which the transmission of television broadcasting signals is badogous to the transmission using digital technology ("digital migration").
This digital broadcasting migration involves terrestrial broadcasting and does not affect satellite broadcasting, which has been digital for some years now in Africa.
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