Report on broadcast law proposals likely next week
A report on the recommendations for broadcasting legislation is almost complete and will be presented to a seminar of broadcasters by the end of the month. Reliable sources indicated that the report written by a team appointed by broadcasters at a previous seminar in June, is intended to initiate a degree of consensus amongst the broadcasters that will allow the government to go forward with steps to draft the final legislation. The report will suggest a grace period during which broadcasters will make efforts to comply with the legislation. At the last seminar, many television company owners argued that sudden enforcement of laws including those pertaining to foreign programming could be harmful to the industry. The report also identifies the means and ways of establishing a Broadcasting Authority along with its duties and functions. The proposed appointment of members by the minister of information was roundly criticized at the seminar and it is understood that this has been discarded. A parliamentary appointment process is among the suggestions. One way forward following the seminar is to hold public hearings where concerned citizens and groups could express their views on what system would be in the public interest. Since broadcasting, be it television or radio affects so many, the sources note that such hearings are deemed essential for public acceptance of any future legislation. It may then be necessary to form a broadcasting commission that would advise the Attorney General's office on the drafting of the final bill. It is expected that the National Frequency Management Unit would be incorporated into the proposed Broadcasting Authority. The report also recognises that with technological advances the legislation would be of an interim nature and be affected by subsequent telecommunication acts that would likely reflect the convergence of the entertainment and information media. It is now possible to talk person to person, download movies and listen to digital radio over the internet.
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