"The Digital Television Act is a trap" - Journal and Radio Uchile

“The government lies. The minister and the undersecretary lie. ” So sharp is Luis Polo from Lillo, spokesman for Community Television Broadcasters Network and Popular Chile, in relation to the recently passed Digital Television. And while the parliament, the government, big media and phone companies to celebrate five years of legislative process, community media, social organizations and those working for the democratization of communications regret that the nearly six hundred indications that succeeded in introducing the original bill have been in vain and the result, they say, will be a television even more concentrated in terms of ownership that currently exists.

“We will have a TV very similar to what we have now, although access to concessions surely be more concentrated than the present, therefore, we see that go to increase the diversity or the contents or diversity of actors with access to concessions, “says Chiara Saez, Ph.D. in communication and academic at the Institute of Communication and Image (ICER) of the University of Chile.

already anticipated the deputy Hugo Gutierrez during the discussion in the House: “Without going into the debate of ownership of television stations, the project consolidates the presence of existing channels at the expense of other emerging channels, many of them in community, social and regional struggling to have a space of step (…) The country lost the opportunity to diversify the social representativeness of television and ensure cultural and educational programming. “

According to critics of the new regulations, the acclaimed forty percent reservation for regional media and local community and politicians who boast noting that it is a law that promotes pluralism in practice has the exact opposite effect.

“Forty percent is a trap. It is for regional and local channels, both types of channels can only be commercial, educational signal is private. Ninety percent of the spectrum will be devoted to commercial projects, excluding community television TVN and able, by itself, to have the money to access a frequency, which is a bit naive, “says Chiara Saez, who is also part of the Bureau of Citizenship and Digital TV.
From the perspective of the director of Signal 3 of La Victoria, with this, the government and parliamentarians, “you are making the game give the most number of concessions to companies and big corporations, “adding:” We have been more than six months ago requesting a meeting to Don Jorge Atton (Undersecretary of Telecommunications) to see how it will allocate the spectrum and we wanted to get, and it is because he has something hidden. “

Despite warnings from different sectors that have been made to Subtel to know how many concessions are given and when, the detail still remains a mystery.

door open to this new covert privatization of a national asset, such as the radio spectrum is generated because the law puts in the same bag regional channels, local and community, differentiating only and not coverage area for content or property.

“In Chile we have regional television, the law creates this figure, but is not responsible to say who will be the agents, which leaves the market forces and the sharks eat the tiny little fish,” says Dr. communications.

In fact, these new channels will not be required to issue regional or local content, even actors involved belong to these communities, so perfectly large conglomerates can purchase and use for telemarketing companies, subjecting viewers to an eternal “Call Now” regional.

A similar situation is what would happen with the promise to prevent media concentration stating that domestic and foreign economic groups only have access to a concession by location. To contravene this measure would suffice to buy a signal locality and ready!: National television network serving private, Chilean or foreign. But besides the big consortia let the ball bouncing communication for goal at this point, parliamentarians decided to cancel the reciprocity principle that was established in the beginning and that stipulated the right to acquire signals Chileans abroad when that occurred in the country.

But who does put conditions are community channels. “We have many more restrictions than public or local. We restrict and tell us how we have to develop even forbid us link up in a chain. We limited out two, three, four square blocks Is there a definition for private television? But we define. Would easier to get a permit for private television community, “says Lillo.

But surely the greatest obstacle facing the community channels in this new scenario has to do with the high cost of the change from analog to digital technology. From the Signal 3 comment that a new transmitter worth ten million pesos, a figure impossible for a self-managed project that brings together resources among neighbors and weekends at the fair.

ICEI

academic clarifies that while public funds were established, are not intended to be delivered to community media. Only local channels that have a previous investment of at least thirty million, the Department of Telecommunications is going to lend digital test equipment for a limited time. Then they should apply for loans to purchase new infrastructure.

competitive funding National Television Council, which they can apply for community media, is renewed every year and are intended only to finance projects of contents, ie can not be used to buy infrastructure to move into the digital age.

Considering these factors, the new law TVD held only increase the possibilities for pluralism and to combat inequality in access to existing media in Chile, has become, especially for community channels in the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“It’s a very bad precedent because front lobby of businesses, community media have no chance. Here is a table made from citizen lobby where universities converged, Fucatel, the Association of Journalists, community radio stations, filmmakers, actors of reputable experts were documents, sent six hundred indications, reviewed comparative law, and nothing was accomplished. It’s frustrating for civil society working with communication issues, “says Juan Ortega, journalist in charge of the Social Communication Program Based on ECO NGOs, Education and Communications.

is why channels and advance to submit a request to the Constitutional Court and, if necessary, to international bodies. Although not rule other pressure: “We will have to take some embassy, ??some ministries, resort to actions beyond its control. We are planning acts of force because we have not been heard by either the government or by the Parliamentarians, or anyone, “says Polo Lillo.

Experts say that in addition to violating the right of citizens to communicate freely, this type of legislation helps to maintain the illegality as community media, to be recognized by law receive no benefit, for the otherwise.

“In five years community media are going to be outside the law because they will not have the means to access the licenses,” he adds Ortega, while the director of Signal 3 of Victoria announced who will not be pushy. “If the state wants to silence us, we will have to continue to operate as we have done over the last 18 years underground, illegally, with pride. To die with his boots on. “