TV Signals To Be Cut Off If Broadcasters Fail To Pay For DTT Platform- Minister Warns

Minister responsible for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has warned that television signals to homes and offices might be shut down from next year if broadcasters decline to pay for the usage of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful speaking on the Floor of Parliament on Monday said the government, which has covered the operating costs of the platform, can no longer bear the financial burden.

She emphasised that despite numerous notices, some media houses have been reluctant to comply with payment obligations.

“None of the broadcasters on the DTT platform pay for using it as I speak and this situation cannot continue in our current economic state,” she said.

“GIBA is not a broadcaster hosted on this platform. So I don’t know in which capacity they would be acting. They have constituent members who are broadcasters on the DTT platform but none of them have paid a pesewa to date for being hosted on the platform so it is not correct any member being hosted on the platform has paid for it.”

The Communications Minister warned that if payments are not made, there is a risk of the platform being shut down due to non-payment of operational expenses, potentially leading to a disruption in TV broadcast signals.

“Government says it cannot continue to pay for it so if they do not pay for it, unfortunately, we may find ourselves in a situation where we cannot receive TV broadcast signals because the platform will be shut down for non-payment of the operational expenses that it is incurring,” the Communication Minister stated.

Digital Terrestrial Television is a technology for terrestrial television where television stations broadcast television content in a digital format.