[cr-india] Uruguay approves Community Broadcasting Bill

[Ramnarayan.K]

On Dec 13, 2007 9:08 AM, sajan venniyoor <venniyoor at gmail.com> wrote:
> Check out the new Uruguayan CR Bill. This is what all CR regulation should
> aspire to be.
>
> 1. It sets aside one-third of all radio (AM & FM) *and* television
> frequencies for community-based media.
> 2. Licenses are granted by a council made up of all the stake-holders.
> 3. There is no fixed transmitter power or coverage area - the range depends
> on the size of the audience.
>

wow

ram

> I guess we have a long way to go yet.

in most probability we will follow the same pattern the only
difference being that the set aside frequencies wil be fought over by
unreliance, tata-byebye and co rather than communities.
>

ram


> SENATE PASSES COMMUNITY BROADCASTING BILL
> http://www.mediaforfreedom.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=7158
>
> In what the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) calls
> a "groundbreaking move for freedom of expression in Latin America," the
> Uruguayan Senate approved a Community Broadcasting Bill that recognises
> community broadcasting in its own right and says television and radio
> frequencies should be more equitably distributed.
>
> The bill acknowledges the importance of this "third" broadcasting sector
> alongside the state and private sectors, and stipulates that one third of
> the AM and FM radio airwaves and television broadband will be reserved for
> community-based media outlets, which AMARC says ensures greater diversity of
> media ownership.
>
> A new council, made up of government, media, university and free expression
> representatives, will play a part in granting and renewing frequencies and
> ensuring that the government does not use frequency allocation to indirectly
> censor broadcasts.
>
> According to AMARC, the bill does not impose limits on the geographical
> range and signal strength of community media outlets, unlike laws in Brazil
> and Chile. Instead, the bill says the range of coverage will depend on the
> outlet's purpose and the audience it is trying to reach.
>
> Community broadcasters will also have the right to secure financing through
> donations, advertising and government grants.
>
> AMARC and other free expression organisations, including IFEX members
> ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF),
> have been closely following this development as it sets a crucial precedent
> for the region. AMARC was also involved in drafting the bill. "This is the
> first time that transparent and non-discriminatory processes for the
> allocation of radio and television frequencies have been explicitly laid out
> in Uruguayan legislation," says AMARC.
>
> The bill now goes to the House of Representatives to approve some amendments
> made by the Senate. According to government officials, the law will be
> passed by the end of the year.
>
> Visit these links:
> - AMARC: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/87839/
> - RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=22492
> - ARTICLE 19: http://tinyurl.com/22xkhs
> - "IFEX Communiqué" on passage of bill in House of Representatives:
> http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/84084/
>
> (27 November 2007)
> Copyright mediaforfreedom.com
>
>
> YOU CAN SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM (India) BY JOINING AND TAKING AN
> ACTIVE PART IN ONE OF THESE NETWORKS
>
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