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Ecuadorian media may belong to foreigners, resolves legislative Commission
Posted On 07 Aug 2018
Ecuadornews:
The Commission on Collective Rights has debated and approved 26 articles so far for the report on the amendments to the Communication Law that will be presented to the Plenary Assembly. Among those that have been replaced is Article 6, which defines and regulates social media of a national nature. Thus, part of the current text that indicates that this type of media “may not belong in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to foreign organizations or companies domiciled outside the Ecuadorian State or to foreign citizens, except those foreign citizens who reside on a regular basis in the national territory. “
Of the 10 members of this legislative board, only the three that belong to the ranks of the correísmo were in disagreement. Legislators from opposition parties support the presidential proposal.
Jeanne Cruz, of CREO, said that the Companies Law already contains the conditions “so that any foreigner who wants to have shares (in a medium) comes to settle in the country.”
On the other hand, Marcela Holguín, sees it as something “very dangerous” and that could “damage the sovereignty” of the country. In her opinion, this opens the possibility that “people who have a very strong economic power can appropriate Ecuadorian national means” and that, even “through tax havens, oligopolies and monopolies can be formed”.
The Executive’s draft states that natural persons who are concessionaires of radio and television frequencies “may constitute a company or a non-profit legal entity”. (I)
