By Mabinty M. Kamara
Momodu Sawah, Director of Regulatory Administration at the National Telecommunication Commission (NATCOM), has announced that all community radio stations in Freetown and district headquarters towns will be required to operate as commercial radio stations beginning this December.
Sewah made this announcement in a meeting with managers of radio and TV stations across the country. The meeting was convened to discuss the way forward for effective regulation and compliance mechanisms in their operations. “We are here to discuss for the good of us all. The FM industry is growing over time; the commission has been giving licenses to stations in big towns to operate as community radios, but come December, community radios will not be allowed to broadcast in major towns and cities based on two factors: population density and the radius or coverage areas,” he said at the meeting held on Wednesday.
The NATCM official said radio stations operating in communities where the population is greater than 10, 000 cannot be qualified to operate as community radios.
Maxwell Massaquoi, Director General of NATCOM, added that the decision might not go down well with most station managers but that it was a “necessary evil” as it’s in the interest of the country. He explained that telecoms regulatory compliance and enforcement is everywhere in the world, which is why they had to shut down some stations and cease their equipment as the money these stations owe is needed to continue to monitor and support government programs.
According to Massaquoi, these moves were not targeted at any specific individuals, institutions or regions, but rather, they were targeted at all those who defaulted.
“I assure you whole heartedly that we are given you back your equipment especially for those that have fully paid their dues,” he assured.
He then reminded all radio station managers to follow and comply with the law and to operate within the license given to them, noting that while most radio stations are registered as community radio, many perform a different role.
“Don’t operate as a commercial radio if you are registered as a community radio; work within the licenses given to you,” he stressed.
“But come December 31, we will have a full blown regulatory framework. So that we all speak with one voice,” he added.
NATCOM was established by an Act of parliament in 2006 to regulate the Sierra Leone telecommunication sector, protect consumer’s interest and ensure fair competition among service providers.
Section 71 sub section 2 of the Act allows the censure of the equipment of defaulting stations. It reads: “any equipment or apparatus used for transmitting and receiving a radio communication in respect of which the offence has been committed shall be forfeited to the state.”
Most of the managers present at last week’s meeting expressed concern over the licenses fees that are charged in US Dollars by the commission, instead of in Leone which is the legal tender. They say this is affecting them considering the ongoing inflation in the country.
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