An opposition Senator called on Government to reveal the programming schedule and content for its new TV service due to be launched within a few days.

Despite The Royal Gazette consistently asking questions on the nature of the content, programme scheduling, exact budget and staffing of the new TV station details are unknown.

Last year, Government allotted $840,000 for the project and in this year's Budget set aside $690,000 and five full-time staff. In the past Government has hinted that Bermudian history and other public educational initiatives would be included in the station's programming lineup.

Opposition spokesperson for Telecommunications, Senator E.T. (Bob) Richards, said that since the Island already has a functioning media, which is privately owned, with the purpose of being independent and objective, the TV station proposal was "unheard of". Sen. Richards was particularly interested to know the exact content of the station, the number of staff it has now and the amount of staff the channel will require in future. Also, the terms of governance of the channel and a clearly defined purpose.

He also questioned the exact motivation for the station and said the UBP was interested to know the level of access the Opposition would have to it, as well as alternative viewpoints, once it goes live.

Sen. Richards added: "To spend the taxpayers money on a Government TV station, in a first-world country as Bermuda, is just unheard of.

"Government has proposed that the station will be something like the BBC in the UK, which is government owned. But the BBC has total editorial independence from the Government there.

"The BBC has flogged past Governments and the current one, royally, in the past and have taken delight in doing so.

"It does not appear that this TV station will be of that nature. Then they (Government) gave the example of Barbados, where they have the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which is government owned as well.

"I shot that down because that particular TV station was put in place when there was no TV stations at all in Barbados, in other words, the CBC brought TV to Barbados, there were no private sector TV stations at all when that came.''

Sen. Richards said the entire project was a waste of money that could be better spent on other issues in Bermuda such as crime-fighting and housing. He added: "In Bermuda we have about 65,000 people, three TV stations, four when you count Fresh TV and it seems to me that there's no need for another TV station other than to propagate Government propaganda, it's a total waste of money. We could be building houses, improving education and fighting crime.

"By the time it's all said and done, it's going to be a fair chunk of change and that money can be better used elsewhere for Bermuda."

In the House of Assembly former Premier Scott described the project this way: "The Government feels it prudent and necessary to speak on a regular basis directly to the people of this country, in an unmediated and unedited fashion.''

Yesterday, when contacted by The Royal Gazette, Beverley Lottimore, the head of DCI said: "At the moment we are pleased with the progress we are making but there are still things to be completed." The station was initially due to go live in June but that time frame was pushed back to September.