ECG blacks out GBC

Residents in parts of the Volta Region have since Thursday, September 3, 2015 not been able to access the services of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as well as signals of telecom operators like Airtel, Tigo and Glo.

This is because the Electricity Company of Ghana (GBC) has disconnected electricity supply to the transmission station of GBC and some cell sites of the three telecom operators.

The GBC tower is a major one which transmits radio and television signals to residents across the region. The tower, which is at Amedzofe in the Ho West District of the region, has a 10kw transmitter which sends signals to its sister stations at Akatsi in Southern Volta and Kete-Krachi in Northern Volta.

This equipment makes GBC the only company which television channel – Ghana Television (GTV) – is easily accessible in the region. Its radio signal is also the only one that covers the entire Volta Region.

However, the disconnection has left the state broadcaster no other option than to transmit only in Ho, the regional capital, and adjoining communities, leaving the larger part of the region without coverage. GBC’s regional office in Ho operates on prepaid meters and has a minor transmitter for the capital.

It is only those who have digital transmission boxes that can access channels of GBC in the region, while those without them have to rely on alternative radio stations and analogue television transmission stations.

According to the Volta Regional Commercial Manager of ECG, Sylvester Abrefa-Besea, GBC alone owes the company GHc700,000.00 and that all attempts to retrieve this amount had proved futile. The defaulting telecommunications companies which cell sites were disconnected include Tigo, which owes approximately GHc250,000.00: Airtel, about GHc127,000.00 and Glo, about GHc112,000.00.

Necessary Evil

Mr. Abrefa-Besea told DAILY GUIDE that the disconnection was part of an ongoing campaign by management of ECG in the region to retrieve all monies owed the company by defaulters.

Last week, the electricity service provider issued final demand notices to some defaulting individuals and state-owned enterprises, threatening to either send them to court or disconnect their services, if they failed to settle all outstanding debts.

Speaking during the disconnection exercise, Mr. Abrefa-Besea asserted, “It is a necessary evil…we cannot stay aloof and watch this debt increase while there is no concrete commitment to pay. We have an open door policy and will be glad to dialogue and agree on a payment plan with all our debtors to ensure that debts are paid in full,” he said.

Aside GBC, other state-owned institutions which were disconnected included the NADMO regional office, which owes about GHc6,000.00, some health and educational facilities.

Disconnection Will Continue

The General Manager of ECG in the Volta Region, Ing. Joseph Mensah Forson, decried the negative impact that the continued indebtedness of institutions and individuals was having on ECG’s operations. He indicated that the campaign to disconnect defaulted customers would continue in earnest.