57 Radio Stations Risk Frequency Suspension Over Regulatory Breaches – Communications Minister Reveals
Ghana’s Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has announced that 57 radio stations face the risk of frequency suspension for violating regulatory requirements.
Addressing journalists on Monday, March 24, the Minister clarified that the suspension is not intended as a punitive measure but as an opportunity for affected media organizations to rectify their regulatory breaches before resuming operations.
“The other six stations are a part of a total number of about 63 radio stations whose frequencies are not going to be revoked but are going to be suspended. We suspended the first six because we cannot have a situation where media houses would flout the regulation and say that because of press freedoms, the conditions for their licenses will not be met,” he stated.
The Minister further disclosed that out of the six stations that were recently suspended, three have taken the necessary steps to comply with the regulatory requirements and will have their frequencies restored in the coming days.
“I will be suspending the licenses, offering them the opportunity to remedy the anomaly in their cases. The six that were affected in the first phase, three of them have indicated to us and brought to the regulator the documentation required for the restoration of their frequencies and I will be authorizing the restoration of their frequencies,” he added.
The development underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring compliance within the broadcasting industry while upholding press freedoms within the framework of regulatory standards. The affected stations are expected to engage with the regulator to address their outstanding issues to avoid further sanctions.