Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, is warning that television signals to homes and offices may be cut from next year.

The Minister insists that this action is a result of broadcasters refusing to pay for their use of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.

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

According to the Minister, the government, which has been covering the cost of operating the platform, can no longer bear the expense.

Speaking in Parliament, the legislator insisted that some media houses are refusing to pay despite receiving several notices.

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

She added "GIBA is not a broadcaster hosted on this platform. So I don't know in which capacity they would be acting. They have members who are broadcasters on the DTT platform but none of them have paid a pesewa today for being hosted on the platform."

The Minister explained that the broadcasters hosted on the DTT platform have been notified that the government cannot continue to pay for operation and maintenance with matters currently pending in court.

She mentioned that while some broadcasters are currently negotiating payment terms with management, others have been adamant

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

She, therefore, called on broadcasters to work together to ensure that the DTT platform stays operational.

But the President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association has dismissed the notion that broadcasters are refusing to pay for their use of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, Mr Sunkwa-Mills stated that GIBA is against the arbitrary allocation of fees on a national platform by the Communications Ministry.

According to him, the Minister earlier proposed a fee of $15,000 a month per station. However, it was slashed to $10,000 a month after the fee was challenged and the Association called for a breakdown.

He insisted that the DTT platform is monopolistic therefore “the designation of rate or fees must go according to the Rate and Fees Act passed and run by the Finance Committee.”

He also noted that the Minister does not have the legal right to allocate fees for such a platform, adding “We consult with the court for a clear interpretation whether the Minister can do as she is saying or not after issuing invoices to stations. As it is now, we are waiting for the conclusion.”

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Sam George acknowledged that while the initial $10,000 charge set by the Communications Minister is on the high side, there should be a reconsideration of the fee.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, he urged the GIBA and the Communications Ministry to engage in a more collaborative approach, emphasizing that both entities need each other to operate effectively in the space.

“The point must be made that this whole thing about the charge is a long-standing principle from the days of Dr Omane Boamah (former Communications Minister) when the DTT platform was built in 2015. There is always been the understanding that the DTT platform is not for free and that there will be a fee to be paid.”

“The issue at stake now is the processes by which the fee is being determined. We as a committee have invited the ministry and GIBA. The Ministry and GIBA need to come to a place where they have an understanding that it is not possible to proceed without the one or the other and that this matter will have to be discussed and agreed on and not litigated on.”