TV, radio operators reject bill on broadcasting

TV, radio operators reject bill on broadcasting

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Television and radio broadcasting operators warned on Wednesday
they would go off air if the House of Representatives (DPR) and
the government failed to revise the broadcasting bill currently
being deliberated.

During a peaceful rally in front of the House compound, dozens
of protesters claimed that the bill was a threat to independent
broadcasting activities which they had been fighting for.

Among the articles criticized by the protesters was the
establishment of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI)
that would hold the authority to determine program guidelines,
impose sanctions for violations, issue licenses and set a code of
conduct for the broadcast community.

One of the protesters, Sunaryo, said both the government and
the House had the intention of controlling the national broadcast
community through regulations, action reminiscent of the days
under Soeharto's New Order.

The protesters did not say when the plan would materialize.

Indonesia is home to one state and 10 private television
stations and one state and 1,070 private radio stations.

The off-air threat was earlier issued by the Association of
Indonesian National Private Radio.

Separately on Wednesday, an association of 36 community-based
radio operators demanded that the government recognize their
existence separate from the state and commercial stations.

The Indonesian Community-based Radio Network denied the
government's accusation that its members' broadcasts could
jeopardize national unity, saying that people had taken advantage
of their services.

During the protest some of the radio operators from Java,
Sumatra, and Sulawesi shared their experiences, saying that local
people welcomed the presence of their stations.

A draft broadcasting bill outlined by the House acknowledges
the community-based broadcasting stations, but the government
opposes it on the grounds that it is prone to provocation.

Apart from regulating broadcasting operators, the bill also
regulates cross-ownership, foreign investment in domestic
broadcasting and advertising.