This will be after it completes a thorough audit it is conducting into the operations of companies within the sector.

[contextly_sidebar id=”vFYA2LQZlIljHiRgzJfiUpqPeowN7kq9″]The Head of Consumer and Corporate Affairs of the NCA, Nana Dufie Badu, who confirmed this to Citi News said the NCA is poised to streamline the operations of all companies within the industry.

She said the NCA’s recent actions against radio stations that have violated their terms of authorization was not an act of political witch-hunting.

“The NCA had to face the Public Accounts Committee for something of this sort to answer as to why it had allowed some companies it regulates to close down, and not to pay the required regulatory fees. This is an effort that the NCA is making to streamline the operations of all service providers within the communication industry. This is not aimed at any of the FM broadcasting stations,” she said.

She added that, “A similar audit is also going on for TV services and ISPs among others… If there are companies that are not in compliance with the terms and conditions of the authorization, they will be sanctioned.”

A total of 131 radio stations, including Accra based-Radio Gold, Atlantis Radio and Radio XYZ were sanctioned by the National Communications Authority (NCA) on Friday for various violations of the terms of their authorization.

The offenses included operating without a license, and operating with expired license among others.

The sanctions meted out to them ranged from fines to the total revocation of licenses. Radio XYZ was fined GHc 4,090,000, while Atinka FM was fined GHc 14,800,000.

Radio Gold and Atlantis Radio were fined GHc 61,330,000 and GHc 60,350,000 respectively.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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34 of them who are said to be operating illegally in the country following the expiration of their license have had their licenses revoked.

Some of the radio stations according to the NCA, have refused to renew their license for close to 17 years. But it is unclear why the NCA has allowed these illegalities to persist for years.

NCA said it took the decision after conducting a “spectrum audit” into the radio space.

“The National Communications Authority (NCA) has sanctioned a total of 131 FM Authorisation Holders found to have committed various infractions pertaining to their authorisations to operate as contained in Section 13 of the Electronics Communications Act (2009), Act 775,” NCA said in a statement.

The NCA aside revoking the license of 34 radio stations, also fined others to the tune of GHc1.24 billion.

According to the Authority, per laws governing the media space, an amount of GHc10,000  is charged daily on radio stations that refuse to renew their license after its expiration.

Below is an infographic of the 131 radio stations sanctioned and their offences:

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Melvin Clottey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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