Commission analyzes how to distribute the frequencies
Ecuadornews:
The Minister of Telecommunications said that there is only saturation of the radioelectric space in Guayas and Pichincha. The controller will be invited to the Assembly.
The Minister of Telecommunications, Guillermo León, arrived with a proposal that surprised the Collective Rights Commission of the Assembly, which processes the reforms to the Organic Law of Communication (LOC). He considers it necessary to hold a national contest to distribute the radio spectrum, as currently stipulated by the LOC.
León said that in the provinces there is enough space in the band to deliver frequencies to private companies, public institutions or community media. The Minister supported his thesis in which the apparent saturation of the radioelectric spectrum was due to the fact that it was not properly organized or structured.
Technically, the country is divided into 22 zones and 100 frequencies could be awarded in each, León said. “There would be no problem in awarding them, since there is a bandwidth of 200 kilohertz, which is assigned to broadcast and go on the air,” the official explained to the legislators of the Commission.
This idea did not displease the president of the Collective Rights Commission, Jorge Corozo (Alianza PAIS). For him it can be an alternative and he said that there would only be inconveniences in the most populated cities and provinces, such as Pichincha or Guayas. In the rest of the country there would be no problem.
However, the legislative team does not want to advance a criterion on whether it is necessary to reform the provision of the Communication Law that provides a radio spectrum distribution of 33% for private media, 33% for public and 34% for community media.
The CREO legislator, Ángel Gende, went to the Collective Rights Commission to request that the percentage be not reformed for community media. He is a representative of the tsáchila community and spoke about the advantages of a nationality with a means of communication.
For him it is fundamental that the law also allows the possibility of financing community media. Academic in favor of the distribution, the professor of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Palmira Chavero, recommended to the legislative table of Collective Rights to strengthen the distribution of thirds of the radio spectrum as stipulated by the current standard.
This measure, he said, avoids the monopolization of means. For him, like the legislator Gende, it is necessary to advance in the definition of community media and support these sectors for the maintenance of their activities.
Another issue that will be analyzed by the Legislative Commission will be the last frequency contest that has been overturned by the Comptroller’s Office. Assemblyman Corozo said that next week the controller in charge, Pablo Celi, will be invited to report on the anomalies detected in the process.
The Office of the Comptroller General detected 15 alleged irregularities, including legal failures committed by the Telecommunications Regulation Agency (Arcotel) and the Communication Regulation Board (Cordicom).
In addition, the researchers showed a possible concentration of frequencies in three groups. But this is not the only examination to the delivery of frequencies. The Comptroller’s office opened a scope to execute a second investigative process to the actions executed by the entities in charge of the contest.
Proposals Communication in emergency
The head of the Risk Secretariat, Alexandra Ocles, asked that the law promote the prevention and correct dissemination of messages in cases of emergencies. She said that the false news that causes alarm should end.
12 projects to reform the Communication Law have reached the Rights Commission.
Security for journalists
Another of the topics proposed to the Commission of Collective Rights is to incorporate a norm so that the State guarantees the security of the workers of means of communication. (I)
Source: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/politica/3/reparto-frecuencias-medios-ecuador