$2M Monthly Savings as Spectrum Management Relocates to Downtown Kingston
February 22, 2010The Full Story
Prime Minister Bruce Golding has congratulated the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) for their bold move to relocate their offices from New Kingston to Harbour Street, Downtown Kingston.
The move relieves the organization of $2 million in rent monthly and supports the Prime Minister’s mandate that government offices relocate to downtown.
“You are blazing the trail of bringing the government back downtown”, the Prime Minister said at the launch on February 18.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding views the mobile monitoring unit of the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA). The unit will significantly improve the Authority’s effectiveness in its role as radio spectrum regulator. Mr. Golding was touring the recently acquired headquarters of the SMA in Downtown Kingston on February 18. The move downtown relieves the SMA of $2 million per month in rent. With the Prime Minister is Chairman of the SMA, Robert Lawrence.
He noted that the work of the 35 members of staff, though little understood by the wider population, was greatly appreciated.
“I commend the team at SMA and let you know how proud I am of you. It is a young team, young people who are helping us to drive ourselves into technology. ..Through the work that they do, they contribute about $5 billion a year to the consolidated fund from the licenses that they collect and the work that they do. They have been improving their system. They have two monitoring stations (Planters Hall, Old Harbour and Oceana Downtown) to monitor the frequencies and to ensure that the frequencies are in accordance with the regulations and be able to determine how efficiently those frequencies are being used,” Mr. Golding said.
The SMA had on display a recently acquired mobile monitoring unit which allows them to do islandwide surveillance of frequencies.
The nation’s radio frequency spectrum is a national resource that earns revenue from the licensing of telecommunication companies and broadcasters. The SMA regulates the use of the spectrum.