The cable and broadcast radio sectors are expanding, with the issuing of three additional limited area radio licences and three Subscriber Television (STV) Licences by the Office of the Prime Minister.

In its editorial on Friday, June 19, 2009, the Gleaner referred to recent comments made by me before Parliament’s Appropriations Committee. The thrust of the editorial was that the comments require clarification of the Commission’s position regarding the regulation of content on the Internet.

Under existing arrangements, test transmissions are authorised by the Spectrum
Management Authority (SMA). These arrangements can apply to entities which have
not yet been licensed, and would therefore not be within the remit of the
Broadcasting and Radio Re-Diffusion Act (BRRA) and the Television and
Sound Broadcasting Regulations (TSBR).

The attention of the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) has been drawn to printed and online media reports of a list of local and international recordings which are being represented as music disallowed by the Commission in consequence of the recent directives.

The Commission notes a letter to the Editor, entitled, “BCJ’s backward moves”
published March 5, 2009 and seeks to give clarity to recent reports in the media.

WHEREAS Regulation 30 (I) of The Television and Sound Broadcasting Regulations provides that no licensee shall transmit "any portrayal of violence which offends against good taste, decency or public morality"