New Microphone System Installed at Parliament

A Televic D-Cerno conference microphone system has been installed at Gordon House at a cost of approximately $18 million.

Speaking during a media sensitisation session on September 25, Managing Director of Caribbean Technology Solutions, Glenford McFarlane, advised that the 78-delegate microphone system is configured in group request mode.

“What that means is that all delegates are allowed to press a button – the button is at the centre of the console – when they need to request to speak. As soon as that button is pressed, the chairman uses a button which is called a next button to select the next person who is queued up to speak. Think of it almost like a line, persons join a line to get to the front of the microphone and the first person who enters the line is allowed to speak,” he explained.

The request to speak button is also used to close the microphone.

Once the button is pressed, the microphone closes and then the next person in the queue takes the floor.

Mr. McFarlane noted that the system has also been configured to allow for a maximum of four microphones to be engaged at once.

An engaged microphone is lit in green and when it is the member’s time to speak it changes to red.

If a fifth person makes a request to speak, their microphone will not be engaged until one of the four microphones has been disengaged.

He explained that if side chatter is being picked up into the microphone of a member who has taken the floor or if members are being disruptive, the chairman can temporarily mute all microphones and members will have to re-enter the queue.

Mr. McFarlane shared that the request to speak mode is utilized in the Congress of Nicaragua, Senate of Colombia, Council of Bogota and the system being designed in Turks and Caicos will be configured to operate similarly.

“There is no situation where the chairperson can control the flow of the meeting,” he reiterated.

In instances where a member who was not in the queue is asked to provide clarity on a matter by the member who is on the floor or the chairperson, the chairperson has to mute all microphones to allow the delegate to enter the queue and the other members who were previously in the queue will have to re-enter.