The regulator would not answer Vincypowa News’s questions about its order to take the opposition-aligned station off the FM band. It is the commission’s first public word that a review of the matter is under way.
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) has declined to answer questions about its order directing Star Radio to stop broadcasting, telling Vincypowa News that the matter is now under an active regulatory review.
In a letter dated Tuesday, October 13, NTRC Secretary/Director Apollo Knights said the matter “is currently the subject of an active Regulatory review,” and that the commission “cannot provide comments or respond to the questions raised at this time.”
The letter was a reply to questions Vincypowa News emailed to the commission on Saturday, October 10. Star Radio remained on the air on Tuesday, five days after the NTRC ordered it to stop transmitting.
What Vincypowa News asked the NTRC about Star Radio
VPN put five questions to the commission:
- Is the NTRC aware that Star Radio is still transmitting, and what steps, if any, will it take?
- What is its response to the claim that the order exceeds its powers under the Telecommunications Act, and under what provision was the order issued?
- Has it received Star Broadcasting’s Certificate of Good Standing from the Commerce and Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), and if so, on what date?
- Has it issued similar orders to other broadcasters over lapsed licenses or missing documents?
- Once the application is complete, how long will the Minister take to decide on a new license?
The commission’s letter did not address any of them. It also did not say what the review covers, who is conducting it, whether the October 8 order remains in force while it runs, or when it is expected to end.
How the Star Radio dispute got here
In a letter dated October 8, the NTRC told Star Broadcasting Corp Ltd to stop transmitting on 98.3 MHz and 104.7 MHz immediately because it does not hold a valid FM broadcast license. The station’s license expired on April 14. The commission said it could not finish processing the renewal without a CIPO Certificate of Good Standing, which the company had repeatedly failed to obtain by agreed deadlines.
Star Radio did not go off the air. On October 10, ULP Communications Director Augustine Ferdinand told Vincypowa News that the station was operating as normal on both frequencies and online, and that the NTRC had acted outside its powers, as VPN reported.
Former Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves has since said on air that the company now holds the CIPO certificate and that the regulator skipped the investigation steps the law requires before ordering a station off the air. He has warned that Star Radio will go to court if the NTRC does not reverse course, as VPN reported on Monday. Telecommunications Minister Phillip Jackson has defended the commission, saying “there’s nothing political” about the order.
What the NTRC review could mean
The letter does not say what kind of review it is. It could be a step toward reconsidering the order, part of processing the outstanding license application, or a response to the legal objections the station has raised. It may also simply be the commission’s reason for saying nothing while a dispute that could end up in court is still open.
What is clear is that the regulator’s only public account of the matter remains its October 8 letter. Five days after the order, the commission has not said whether it accepts that Star Radio now holds the CIPO certificate, whether it will act against a station that is still broadcasting in defiance of its order, or whether any other broadcaster has faced the same treatment. Those are fair questions for a public regulator, whichever party’s station is involved, and Vincypowa News will keep asking them.
This story will be updated as the NTRC, the Ministry and Star Broadcasting respond.
Sources: NTRC letter to Vincypowa News, Ref. COR/General, dated October 13, 2026; NTRC letter Ref. RAB/11 to Star Broadcasting, dated October 8, 2026; statement from ULP Communications Director Augustine Ferdinand to Vincypowa News, October 10, 2026; St Vincent Times.
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