VP rejects KPI license powers

JAKARTA: Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Tuesday that the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) should focus on monitoring the broadcast media instead of seeking power to handle broadcasting licenses.

Addressing a national meeting of the commission, Kalla said that the question of broadcasting licenses came within the government's domain.

The debate over which institution should have the right to issue broadcasting licenses began under the Megawati Soekarnoputri administration, with both the government and KPI insisting on maintaining their stances.

The government says it will keep its power over the broadcasting sector as the Broadcasting Law does not specifically authorize the KPI to issue licenses. However, the commission says the opposite.

The Constitutional Court has ruled that the Broadcasting Law is constitutional but said that the power to issue technical regulations on broadcasting should be given to KPI. --JP