The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) is still contesting the imposition of a $10,000 fee for Digital Terrestrial Television (DDT).

Asserting that such a move is an unfair financial strain on broadcasters, GIBA is now taking a stand against what it perceives as an overreach of the Minister of Communication, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful's authority, calling for transparent dialogue and fair consideration of broadcasters' financial constraints.

“GIBA has some legitimate case to make even if the $10,000 is the acceptable fee; the Minister on her own cannot impose that fee because this is a public fee and charge, so it must come to the Subsidiary Legislation Of Parliament for them to approve the charges before the minister can charge that fee,” he said.

The statement comes amid ongoing discussions and decisions regarding the pricing structure of DTT services. The GIBA President, whose organization represents a significant portion of the country's broadcasters, expressed concerns about the potential impact on the media industry.

He issued a fervent plea for careful consideration in the pricing of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), underscoring the pivotal role of the media as a cornerstone of democracy.

Addressing the issue on JoyNews' PM Express, Mr Sunkwa-Mills, noted that: “It's a bit simplistic to look at the commercial model of exactly how much you have spent and then you just divide and split - that is a very simplistic model. It is not operated like that, especially for media in so many countries because you want your media to survive."

He consequently urged for transparent dialogues with the sector Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, concerning the excessively high costs associated with operating on the national DTT platform.

“So the resolution to this matter is for the minister to come to parliament with the fee for approval. I also think that GIBA must be minded not to be overly litigious because you may still be in court but if the minister fulfills the legal requirement of coming to Parliament and parliament approves it, you would have to pay,” he said.