GIBA calls for public education on TV licence

The President of thGhana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) Mr Andrew Danso Aninkora, has asked the Ghana Br oadcas ting Cor porat ion
(GBC) to review its stance on TV license collection and embark on more public education.

In an interview with Showbiz on Tuesday, he said while it is within the rights of GBC to push for the prosecution of defaulters there were better ways of encouraging Ghanaians to pay their TV license fees than dragging them to court.

The GBC’s request to the Judicial Service for special courts to rosecute defaulters of TV license fees was approved in November and the 11 courts will start sitting from today January 4, 2018 in the country’s 10 regions. however, resistance to this move has started withpeople questioning the need for such courts.

Although GIBA stands to benefit from the revenue that will be accrued, Mr Aninkora believes there should be more engagement with the public.

“Laws are meant to be enforced and not to pamper but if the idea behind the courts is to scare people into obedience then I will urge GBC to reconsider its decision. I believe the focus should rather be on education and encouragement,”he said.

According to him, if Ghanaians are to be encouraged to pay they must be made to understand what they are paying for and why they are paying.

“The concept of TV license is very popular in Britain because the public has understood that as a public broadcaster, the BBC has a duty to the public and must be funded through the payment of fees,” he said.

Lack of cooperation by Ghanaians led to the suspension of the TV license collection for more than two decades. GBC resumed the collection in 2015 and has embarked on a campaign to get people to pay but that has not yielded much results hence the resort to the courts.

Defaulters will be prosecuted per Section 1(a) of the TV licensing Act 1966 (NLCD 89)which 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.”

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 for each TV set every year.

Revenue will be shared in percentage terms among the Ghana Br oadc as t ing Co r po rati on (GBC), 72 percent, Ghana Independent Broadcasting Association (GIBA), 15 percent, National Media Commission (NMC), 4 percent, Media Development Fund, 4 percent, Film Fund, 2 percent and Management of TV Licence Fee (GBC), 3 percent.