TNL transmission center shut down following court order

A repeater transmission center belonging to the TNL media network in Polgahawela has reportedly been shut down and the broadcast equipment taken into police custody based on a court order. 

This has disrupted the channel’s broadcasting services in Sabaragamuwa, North Western and Western provinces, according to TNL. 

When inquired by Ada Derana regarding this, Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said that the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) had registered a complaint yesterday for allegedly maintaining an unauthorized transmission tower. 

Based on that complaint, police presented the relevant information to the Polgahawela Magistrate’s Court today (5).

The court ordered the police to carry out investigations and also instructed to take the broadcast equipment at the center into police custody.

He further said that currently Polgahawela Police is conducting further investigations with the assistance of the TRC.    

Issuing a statement, the TRC said that its officials and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today raided the Polgahawela transmission center belonging to Telshan Network (Pvt) Limited and took into custody the transmission equipment, acting on a court order. 

It said that the main reason for this was due to their failure to obtain the annual transmission license from the TRC for the transmissions being carried out from Polgahawela.

The use of frequency emission equipment without such a license is a punishable crime under the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act, No. 25 of 1991, as amended by the Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment) Act No 27 of 1996, the TRC said.