Ruto calls for fairness in signal allocation
What you need to know:
- Nation Media Group, Royal Media Services and Standard Group are aggrieved that the authority has given a Chinese firm more opportunities including more than half of the available frequencies to roll out digital broadcast.
- Speaking on Thursday in a meeting with the Federation of Kenya Employers in Nairobi, the DP said the frequencies should be given to more players in order to ensure digital broadcast is more competitive and quality products are availed in the market.
- FKE Chairman Linus Gitahi oversaw the inaugural session that brought together the government and private sector employers.
Three local media houses Thursday got support from Deputy President William Ruto in their quest for fair treatment by the Communications Authority of Kenya on the digital migration deadlock now before the Supreme Court.
The DP, although cautious not to delve into the matter, said it was important to ensure that digital migration was done fairly and that local players were given a chance to equally participate in it.
Nation Media Group, Royal Media Services and Standard Group are aggrieved that the authority has given a Chinese firm more opportunities including more than half of the available frequencies to roll out digital broadcast.
The foreign company, Pan African Group, has also been given a Broadcast Signal Distributor Licence while the local companies under the Africa Digital Network have had a temporary self-provisioning licence they had been given earlier repossessed recently by CA.
GIVEN TO MORE PLAYERS
Speaking on Thursday in a meeting with the Federation of Kenya Employers in Nairobi, the DP said the frequencies should be given to more players in order to ensure digital broadcast is more competitive and quality products are availed in the market.
“We want to protect our investors and open up the whole market to other investors who equally believe that they have a role to play.
“Progressively, we should open up the frequency area to ensure we have more players so that we can improve the quality of products and make it much more competitive” said Mr Ruto said at Intercontinental Hotel.
FKE Chairman Linus Gitahi oversaw the inaugural session that brought together the government and private sector employers.
“The employers in the country, more than anyone else, would like to see this country move to the first world status. We would like to be part of the solution especially on creation of jobs so as to deal with unemployment,” said Mr Gitahi.
The media houses have been asking for a BSD licence but have been frustrated by the Authority and had to go to Supreme Court for intervention.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court extended its orders barring CA from switching off their analogue frequencies.