This is according to Director of Communications Arliene Penn who said engagements have been had with the other telecoms companies “to ensure that once GIS goes live, it will be available to all service providers”.

Penn, who gave that indication while appearing before the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) recently, said the broadcasts would run simultaneously.

However, the Communications Director said her department was unable to come to an agreement with another provider as they offer a similar service for free and “government cannot accept it for free as there must be a nominal fee”.

“She (Penn) stated that it is still in process and on stream and would have to revisit the other service providers,” an excerpt from the 2023 SFC report stated.

As for the timeline for the launch of the TV station, the SFC was told that GIS is still awaiting fibre cables as part of the process. The SFC — which is a committee of local lawmakers — was further told that the initiative will move forward “once the technical issues are worked out by the service provider”.

In the meantime, Penn said information has been sent out to recruit persons who have knowledge and passion for visual, social media, and broadcast communications.