Scrambling broadcast

Scrambling broadcast

From Forum Keadilan

As a layman I was unsurprised when I learned about the government's plan to scramble the broadcast of private television stations. The only thing I remember about the news was that one had to buy special equipment costing Rp 1.5 million and pay a monthly-subscription fee of Rp 82,000 to be able to received unscrambled private television stations via satellite.

I have some questions about this plan. What is the motive? Is it to curb the influence of foreign culture? Or is it merely aimed at increasing the government's coffers?

Supposedly its motive is to turn the tide of flooding foreign culture, will it be effective? Programs from private television stations now can be viewed from virtually every big city in Indonesia. Some of those films being scrambled, such as Hunter and Blue Thunder, had been broadcast by the national TVRI station. Why didn't the government ban the films before if its motive is to ward off the influence of foreign culture?

Meanwhile, the scrambling is being done in a very disorganized fashion, like with the serialized Ninja Death film broadcast by SCTV. The first two-series were not scrambled but the third one was.

I hope this complaint will be heeded.

SUNARYO Trenggalek, East Java