Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon yesterday signalled government's intention to end its monopoly on radio broadcasting. But he told reporters at his post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President that the government had no intention of allowing the free-for-all that developed in television broadcasting.

He warned that any person who infringed the regulations and operated a radio station, as Channel 28 boss Tony Vieira [ please note: link provided by LOSP web site ] had done, would be visited with the sanctions that the regulations currently provide. Last month, the equipment being used by Vieira to transmit radio signals was seized by the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU).

Dr Luncheon denied that the government was being selective in punishing those who infringe the broadcast legislation. He contended that accidental squatting on the FM band by the signals from Channel 6 was being tolerated for the time, notwithstanding the notices given to the station by the NFMU of its non-compliance with the relevant technical standards.

However, he said that under the new legislation to be introduced, the functions of a fortified NFMU or any successor organisation would be to manage the spectrum and ensure compliance with the technical standards as provided for by law. The Cabinet Secretary warned "squatters" that non-compliance would result in the imposition of sanctions as the law would provide.

Dr Luncheon conceded that the inaction of this and previous administrations over the past decades and poor enforcement had allowed a custom and practice to develop that nurtured the continued infringement of copyright. He said the matter of copyright infringement was being addressed by a number of government agencies.