Communications Authority, ICT Ministry violating broadcasters’ rights, say media houses

ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i wants CA to take action on KTN, NTV, Citizen and QTV following switch off of digital platforms.

Nairobi: The three media houses affected by the shutdown of analogue signals have blamed the Communications Authority of Kenya of conspiring to force them avail their channels to pay TV service providers.

Reacting to ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i claim that the stations switched themselves off digital platforms and that they would be penalised, the stations said all that amounts to intimidation and violation of rights.

The media houses said it is incomprehensible that the Cabinet Secretary and the Communications Authority chose to blame the three media houses for a broadcast switch off that the government and the regulator is entirely responsible for.

The court had allowed the media houses time to acquire their own set boxes to enable them migrate to the digital platform but CA went ahead and switched off the signals.

“We have not been broadcasting on digital and the application that was before the Supreme Court was about being afforded adequate time to order, import and install digital broadcast equipment,” read a statement by the media houses that operate under the Africa Digital Network consortium.

ADN argued that the forceful shutdown of analogue broadcasting was calculated at forcing the three media houses to avail their signal for distribution by the government-owned SIGNET and the government's preferred Chinese-owned distributor Pan Africa Group PANG that also operates Pay TV service Star Times.

“Forcing the three media houses to avail their channels to either PANG or SIGNET will be inconsistent with the right to carry their own content as provided by the Self Provisioning Licence reinstated by the Supreme Court on Friday, February 13 2015,” the statement read.

The analogue broadcast was terminated on Friday when the CA officials and police raided the broadcasters’ transmitters in Limuru and carted away equipment, effectively cutting off transmission.

ADN assured viewers that they were doing everything possible to return KTN, NTV, CITIZEN, QTV on air.

“To our viewers, we regret the inconvenience caused by the unfortunate developments arising entirely from the gross mishandling of the digital migration process by the Communications Authority and other forces.  The three media houses have been and will always remain committed to digital migration and we are doing everything possible to get your channels back on air.”