AER requests the immediate renewal of frequencies

Ecuadornews:

The vice president of the Assembly, Carlos Bergmann, received the document. Radio broadcasters also call for the return of requisitioned equipment. Representatives of the Ecuadorian Association of Broadcasting (AER) delivered on Tuesday August 21 to Carlos Bergmann, vice president of the Assembly, a document with proposals for incorporation in the reforms to the Organic Law of Communication.

The first, stipulated in a transitory one, aims to automatically renew, for a single occasion, all the concessions of radio and television frequencies, whose term will expire prior to the date on which the present Reform Law is promulgated.

This seeks to “guarantee the recovery of the right to freedom of expression, as well as to repair the damages and aggressions suffered by communication workers in the recent past”, states the proposal of the transitory one.

Kléber Chica, president of AER, mentioned that there is concern in the radio broadcasting sector, since there are 341 concessions that are extended, which is added to a request or report from the Comptroller’s Office that the frequency contest be canceled.

“In that contest we all participate, some have already signed their qualifications, others are with uncertainty because we do not know what will happen with the frequencies,” said Chica.

Another proposal consists of returning “immediately” the equipment seized to the radios and the notification of authorization to operate the concession, as a reparatory measure for the closure of closed stations.

 “The concession contracts or reformatories, signed by writing audio and video services by subscription, which ended before this reform law, or that are extended, will be automatically renewed only once,” indicates another point.

After that, Bergman said that the Collective Law Commission, which is chaired by Assemblyman Jorge Corozo, is just trying to shape the report of the Communication Reform Law for the first debate. He added that they received more than 84 delegations from organizations with their proposals, so he said that the goal of the Assembly is “to deliver an improved Communication Law based on space and time.”

After that, the Assemblyman promised to be the bridge to have a working meeting with Corozo. Chica stressed that they are not against community radios and that they would also benefit from the proposals presented. (I)

Source: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/politica/3/aer-renovacion-frecuencias-loc-ecuador