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.