A letter to that effect which called for “full co-operation”, dated January 5 and addressed to the Director General of GBC, said a three-member team has been formed “to execute the assignment within two weeks, starting from 15th January 2018.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”9mQLWtzuld3wIxhWbillVQfJePobTrrx”]The letter, signed by the Ag. Dep. Auditor-General, Cornelius Normanyo for the Auditor-General, emphasises the mandate of the Auditor General as per Article 187(2) of the 1992 Constitution to audit all state institutions.

“The Auditor General has requested for the audit of the Internally Generated Funds (IGF) of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). The period of the audit covers January 1993 to December 2017”, the letter said.

The state broadcaster has been trending in the news lately following efforts by its management to enforce TV Licence Fee collection, particularly the establishment of special courts to prosecute offenders.

Views opposing the moves have dominated the discussions, with many asking for an outright scrapping of the law.

A statement issued Wednesday by the Chairman, GBC Governing Board, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng, however, instructs the management of GBC “not to pursue any activity, or set of processes, leading to the prosecution of any individual for non-payment of the Television Licence Fee.”

The Board further assured the general public not to entertain any fear of any such possible prosecutions.

“With respect to the future of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Board recommends that the National Media Commission (NMC) drives the processes of engaging critical stakeholders, to resolve the status of GBC, and find a more enduring funding module, that would enable it to discharge its constitutional mandate.”

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Source: Graphic Online

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Responding to the outcry and criticism that met the renewed efforts of the State Broadcaster to ensure compliance with the law, the GBC Board assured the public that no prosecutions will occur.

[contextly_sidebar id=”w0WokcW6YIOEF59kSi6brE4kWJ1UG4lz”]Concerns over the TV license regime followed the Chief Justice’s setting up of special TV license courts across the country to prosecute people who refuse to pay the mandatory TV license fees in line with the TV licensing Act.

Domestic TV users are to pay between GHc36 and GHc60 for one or more TV sets in a household, while TV set repairers and sales outlets are to pay an annual sum of between GHc60 to GHc240.

Following the setting up of the special court, it was expected that defaulting TV owners or operators will be prosecuted per Section 1(a) of the TV licensing Act 1966 (NLCD 89) with defaulters facing a fine or a prison term not exceeding one year.

But a statement from the Board said, “following an evaluation of the situation has instructed the management of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) not to pursue any activity or set of processes, leading to the prosecution of any individual for the non-payment of the Television license fee.”

“The Governing Board is assuring the general public not to entertain any fear for any such possible prosecutions,” the statement added.

The board also urged the National Media Commission (NMC)  to explore a more sustainable funding module for the GBC.

“With Respect to the future of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Board recommends that the National Media Commission (NMC) drives the process of engaging critical stakeholders to resolve the status of GBC, and find a more enduring funding module, that would enable it to discharge its constitutional mandate.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In his view, this will give the license more legitimacy and ease the concerns some Ghanaians have with respect to the utilization of the revenue collected.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Rj2Yj5NuVgXr4gGZknOjwAsC4EbDoRub”]GBC officially reintroduced the collection of the TV Licence fees in 2015, after years of putting it on hold due to non-payments.

Domestic TV users are to pay between GHc36 and GHc60 for one or more TV sets in a household, while TV set repairers and sales outlets are to pay an annual sum of between GHc60 to GHc240.

This has been followed by the setting up of a special court to prosecute defaulting TV users or operators.

“I am not against government raising revenue to resource a public broadcaster. I am against the appropriateness of a tax and how the tax is even collected,” the lecturer said.

“The appropriate institution to be collecting these fees or to set standards for the payment of TV license fees is not GBC. GBC is only interested in the revenue and people are against GBC collecting it because we’re not getting value from GBC.”

When the revenue collection is stripped off the GBC’s purview, “it becomes independent of the GBC so that those funds that come to government, the government can now decide how to allocate those funds,” Mr. Akapame explained.

“…But if GBC is going to collect these funds and GTV is going to use it for itself, people are going to start questioning… GBC, as it stands now, as the regulator and also as a player, is not best placed to be collect these licenses.”

Definition of TV set

He alluded to some inconsistencies on the matter of the licenses by stating that: “the genuine issue we need to look at is what we are paying for.”

Commenting on the matter earlier, Director-General of the GBC, Dr. Akuffo Annor-Ntow, explained that the license is to cover content and not the ownership of TV sets.

“You aren’t paying for the television set. You are paying for the content. So the principle is that the public service broadcaster will be generating content and that content is useful and to the extent that it is mandatory to provide that service, the public funds it. So it is not the television set that you are paying for. You are paying for the content,” he said.

But the TV licensing Act 1966 makes not mention of levies for content and the GBC’s online portal FAQs on the license payment note that the levy is “for installing and using a Television receiving set and not for content or programmes.”

Countries like South Africa provided clarity on such matters by defining a TV set as “any device designed or adapted to be capable of receiving a broadcast television signal. That includes a PC fitted with a TV tuner card, or a videocassette recorder (VCR) connected to a monitor or TV screen.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Strip GBC of mandate to collect TV license fees – Lecturer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking to Citi News following the setting up of a special TV Licence Court to deal with TV license fee defaulters, he said “ultimately, the laws will extend to those who consume that content on mobile applications.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”XK8Sz811Bp8e1iLO4S4YtaDEGle5RasQ”]”The fact that you are consuming it on a mobile application doesn’t mean the content is not being paid for or it’s not being generated by somebody. Once it is being generated, it has to be paid for.”

For now, the GBC is “focusing on those who own television sets and use television sets [for the license collection],” Dr. Annof-Ntow noted.

Content vs TV ownership

The reintroduction of the license has been met with concerns over whether the levy is for TV ownership or the content produced by the state broadcaster.

In an attempt to clear the air, Dr. Annof-Ntow explained that the license is to cover content and not ownership of TV sets.

“You aren’t paying for the television set. You are paying for the content. So the principle is that the public service broadcaster will be generating content and that content is useful and to the extent that it is mandatory to provide that service, the public funds it. So it is not the television set that you are paying for. You are paying for the content.”

But this will be viewed as contradictory by some, given the TV Licence online portal FAQs note that the levy is “for installing and using a Television receiving set and not for content or programmes.”

TV licenses in other countries

A comparison with other countries indicates that the licence is levied on persons who own TV sets.

In South Africa for example, its Broadcasting Act notes that any person or entity with a TV set is to pay the license irrespective of whether a television set in one’s possession is used or not.

South Africa also defines a TV set as “any device designed or adapted to be capable of receiving a broadcast television signal. That includes a PC fitted with a TV tuner card, or a videocassette recorder (VCR) connected to a monitor or TV screen.”

In the UK, any person who watches or records live TV programmes on any channel, including downloads or watching BBC programmes on the iPlayer, has to be covered by a TV Licence. This includes tablets, mobile phones and other portable devices with streaming capabilities.

Implications of Special TV license court

Following the setting up of the special court, it is expected that defaulting TV owners or operators will be prosecuted per Section 1(a) of the TV licensing Act 1966 (NLCD 89).

It says, “Any person who contravenes any provision of this law or regulation shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.”

GBC officially reintroduced the collection of the TV Licence fees in 2015 after years of putting it on hold due to non-payments.

Domestic TV users are to pay between GH¢36 and GH¢60 for one or more TV sets in a household while TV set repairers and sales outlets are to pay an annual sum of between GHc60 to GHc240.

Commercial TV operators are to pay GHc36 per annum for each TV set.

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By: Caleb Kudah & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The warehouse of the media corporation at Kanda were engulfed by fire, prompting an emergency response to avert a disaster.

Three fire tenders were deployed to help salvage the situation as some staff looked on helplessly.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, as officials of the state broadcaster withheld information, and prevented journalists from other media houses from covering the incident.

Information from the GBC website indicates that the fire started around 6:30 this with some sparks sighted.

When Citi News left the scene, there were still two fire trucks in the GBC premises, as one was seen leaving the scene.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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