NCA rejects allegations of interference in broadcasting and on the Internet

General news for Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Source: 3 News

2020-11-24

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has rejected reports that it is interfering with broadcasting services and the Internet in the country.

The NCA said in a statement on Monday, November 23, that it took note of comments on it attributed to former President John Mahama in which it claims that the NCA could shut down the internet on Election Day, December 7, 2020.

“The NCA hereby advises Ghanaians to ignore the comments as completely unfounded,” the regulator stated in a statement.

The statement said that a second misleading post “dated November 12, 2020, was attributed to a former vice minister of communication under the title:” Ato Sarpong criticizes the NCA for taking Abusua FM off the air before the interview with Mahama “. Mr. Sarpong’s accusation is also totally false.

Finally, an interruption in the transmission of a documentary from the Accra-based station Joy FM, which was apparently experienced on multiple digital platforms on the night of November 18, 2020, was also wrongly attributed by some to deliberate interference from the NCA.

“Interference with Internet Communications As part of its mandate, the NCA has licensed various categories of service providers to offer Internet connectivity in Ghana. They include Internet Service Providers, Wireless Broadband Access Service Providers, and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). There are also several international submarine fiber optic cables and several satellite systems that provide Ghana with Internet access. The NCA does not have access or “keys” to any of these networks and therefore cannot shut down the Internet remotely. To block the Internet or restrict access to a particular website, all submarine cable companies, MNOs and other service providers would have to agree to do so.

“The Authority has not ordered any of its licensees to turn off the Internet on Election Day as stated in the news report, and there is no intention to do so. The NCA does not have the ability to block, jam, or interfere with broadcast signals. As a regulator of telecommunications and broadcasting, and in accordance with world best practices, the NCA has frequency spectrum monitoring equipment whose capacity is limited to receiving signals and detecting their source, but not to interfere with them.

“When necessary, Section 13 of ECA, 2008, Law 775 provides the basis and procedure to close a provider of radio communication services. The NCA issues notices and subsequently physically closes the facility and then monitors for compliance.

“The NCA does not interfere with the work of its Internet and broadcast service licensees. Rather, the NCA helps them quickly resolve interference cases when they arise. Therefore, licensees are encouraged to report outages or instances of interference to the NCA for prompt investigation and resolution, and do not misinform their audiences and customers. “