Government will force viewers to pay for unencrypted content – GIBA

General News on Thursday, June 6, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-06-06

The Ministry of Communications is certain to collide with the country's free-to-air television service providers (FTA), in accordance with a policy of charging TV viewers to their channels.

Prince Harri Crystal, Executive Board Member of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters' Association (GIBA), said the ministry and its regulatory agency, the National Communications Authority (NCA), had no mandate to to control television service providers operating open access television networks.

"GIBA strongly opposes the proposal to set up a conditional access system on the digital terrestrial television platform that has been set up primarily to provide unencrypted television services to the population." said Crystal, Thursday, June 6, 2019, at a forum in Accra. The theme of the forum was "Digital Migration and the Future of Wireless TV Migration in Ghana".

Mr. Crystal, who is also a member of the National Media Commission (NMC), spoke at the forum organized by GIBA to discuss the draft policy that the ministry seeks to adopt: regulate broadcasters when the country migrates completely. from badogue television to terrestrial digital television (DTT) transmission platform.

There are currently two types of television broadcasting services in Ghana, pay-TV and free-to-air television. It is estimated that 99% of the Ghanaian population relies exclusively on the FTA broadcasters to access public information and voice their point of view.

According to Mr. Crystal, who also operates Crystal TV, the ministry's directive will require broadcasters providing ALE services to scramble their signals and introduce new set-top boxes that will force viewers on the platforms to pay for the service. This, he believes, is tantamount to the ministry "going beyond its borders".

He referred to the ministry's own paper that about 1.1 million of the 4.6 million Ghanaian households connected to the FTA platform are extremely poor and vulnerable. "… So why do you want to load these 1.1 million poor and vulnerable households"? He asked.

Mr Crystal compared the development to a sedan driver forced to acquire the driver's license of an articulated truck in order to use the road.

GIBA's position is that "FTA television must remain free as clbadified and authorized by the NCA," Crystal said.

"The ministry should not ask viewers to pay digital access fees to allow them to watch free TV channels, while it is the broadcasters who will pay for the transmission services on the television platform. digital technology, "he said. more viewers for "keep the platform free," he added.

GIBA, he said, is also opposed to the government controlling the appointment of the body that will manage the DTT system in Ghana. That, he said, is tantamount to the government's interference in the area of ​​the National Media Commission.

He said the badociation would prefer the SNC to make the appointment to isolate the body from government control.