Under these regulations, stations are required to obtain permits for frequency use through a tender, run by a commission composed of ex officio federal government officials 11 . Many stations have found the permit fees exorbitant, if not punitive and the tender process irregular and biased, and question the motives of the national government in instituting the tender process. This question has overshadowed all other problems faced by local non-governmental media. Government regulation of media is always an exercise in control. Hence, licensing must be viewed with extreme caution.
Law is a tool to obtain certain ends.
It is not an impartial force. Thus the chosen degree of constraint is a clear reflection of the government's attitude toward media. The Frequency Commission has stated that tenders are intended to secure the rights of economically stable stations broadcasting quality programming and to allocate scarce resources. The consequences of the tender regulations demonstrate national government intent to limit frequency use, and to impose a greater degree of control over non-governmental broadcasters.