Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez, leader of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, attributed to commercial interests the irregular passing of the telecommunications bill by Congress. Peña Gómez spoke shortly before leaving the country for medical check up at the Sloane Kettering Memorial Center in New York City. He suffers from cancer of the pancreas. According to press reports, behind the rush to pass the bill are pressures from present secretary general of the party, Lic. Hatuey Decamps, owner of Channel 6. Channel 5 frequency is operated by Juan Ramón Gómez Díaz, who favored the PLD in the 1996 electoral campaign in his quest for government favor. The Channel 5 frequency belonged to the state’s television station. He said the bill also reflects the opposition of PRD congressmen to governments giving away frequencies to persons in their favor. The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hector Peguero, said that the PRD congressmen voted for the bill because the state "robbed" Channel 6 from a leader of that party. The bill originally contemplated measures whereby the frequency would have to be returned to the state television station, RTVD. The debated clause establishes that companies that have licenses or have acquired rights in the UHF range, and that need to be relocated, will be located in frequencies that are compatible with the service. The bill also lifts the prohibition for new radio and TV permits, without affecting licenses granted. Danilo Medina, Secretary of the Presidency, said that the case of Channel 6 and Channel 5 is a matter for Dominican courts and not Congress. This debate is an issue dating back to the days of the Balaguer administration. The government announced it would veto the bill and submit a new telecommunications bill in February, prepared with the consensus of involved parties and the United Nations.
