Discussion of bill postponed to digital television ... - Newspaper and Radio Uchile

The Joint Commission approved two articles of the bill transitional Digital Television, who was admitted to Congress five years ago.

A major legal text was modified to exclude municipalities or municipal corporations the ability to access digital television licenses.

Jorge Pizarro, president of the Senate and a member of the forum for discussion, explained that this measure, a proposal from the Senate, is “the product of all the debate that has been generated in which these channels have become more of an instrument of advertising municipalities and their respective authorities. And what we seek with this project is that pluralism is ensured, content, quality television and, of course, that those who perform this operation to ensure complete and utter respect for plurality and freedom to which all aspire. ”

Another agreement concerns the technical compliance to migrate from analog to digital television, setting a deadline of 60 days for submission of the migration program and five years to 100% of national migration are completed.

“The deadline for television syndication plan, where all frequencies, was coincident with the time that had the channels and dealerships throughout Chile, not only the largest, to present their projects. Therefore, in order to make a technical project you have to have the frequency, which was inconsistent and that’s what changed. They are given 60 days to submit the migration program that will do for the next five years and the requirement is that 100% of all localities in Chile must have migrated within that time, “said Assistant Secretary of Telecommunications, Jorge Atton.

The commission had announced that the signs would be adopted on August 30, which was postponed until September 5 and then to 10. However, parliamentarians approved the two articles only transient and is pending discussion on retransmission consent.

Independence Day celebrations are followed one week district, so that the project will be taken up only in October.

lawyer Pedro Hiuchalaf, telecommunications expert, explains that the delay is proportional to the complexity of this project and that, not to delay the discussions later this year or early next year could be passed the new law .

“This, to loosen the law has to be enacted by the President and passed by the Constitutional Court. I’ve heard that some parliamentarians, for example on the issue of banning people meter online , will present some requirements to the Constitutional Court before it goes into law. So maybe that take a little longer, but if that is the quick progress, I think later this year or early the other and will be as law, “he says.

Recall that various civic organizations have criticized the current digital television project and called on the political class to become aware of the importance of this process and propose the country a new television model more just, democratic, educated and diverse.