(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release: COMMUNITIES SEEK ACCESS TO BROADCASTING FREQUENCIES FORUM-ASIA and ARTICLE 19 welcome the establishment of the Community Radio Federation of Thailand and support their efforts to promote access by local communities to broadcasting frequencies. On 10 October 2002, 3,000 community radio operators and supporters, representing […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release:
COMMUNITIES SEEK ACCESS TO BROADCASTING FREQUENCIES
FORUM-ASIA and ARTICLE 19 welcome the establishment of the Community Radio Federation of Thailand and support their efforts to promote access by local communities to broadcasting frequencies.
On 10 October 2002, 3,000 community radio operators and supporters, representing 140 stations nationwide, announced the creation of the Community Radio Federation of Thailand, with a mandate to articulate the needs of communities in the area of broadcasting. The Federation will promote communities’ right to access public broadcasting resources, including frequencies, and to broadcast their own independent information, free from political or commercial patronage.
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) and ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression, welcome the establishment of the Community Radio Federation of Thailand and support its efforts to promote the right of communities to access the airwaves.
Despite constitutional guarantees, official efforts have so far failed to recognize community broadcasters or to include communities in broadcast frequency allocation processes. The broadcasting bill currently being drafted by government seeks, in principle, to open up broadcasting and to ensure that allocation of public frequencies is fair and free of political or commercial interference. However, ARTICLE 19 and FORUM-ASIA are concerned that while the draft bill is responsive to the concerns of commercial broadcasters, local community broadcasters have so far been excluded from the debate and their interests overlooked.
Broadcasting frequencies are a public resource and both the Constitution of Thailand and international law recognize the need for this resource to be allocated in the public interest. Article 40 of the Constitution defines broadcasting frequencies as “national communication resources for public interest” and recognizes that access to the airwaves should be allocated with “utmost public benefit at national and local levels”. It is widely recognised that the public interest demands that an equitable share of the frequencies should go to community broadcasters.
The Community Radio Federation of Thailand will seek official recognition of communities’ right to operate broadcasters independently of the Public Relations Department of Thailand. Presently, community radio broadcasters are required to operate from the premises of the Public Relations Department broadcast facilities, within specific times and under its administration. The Federation has implemented training programs focusing on equipment operation and broadcast management to ensure that community radio broadcasters can meet national standards, something their opponents claim they are unable to do.
The Federation is recommending that:
* The authorities should allow its members to continue their operations, protected under Article 40, pending the establishment of the National Broadcasting Commission (which will regulate radio and television broadcasters).
* When the National Telecommunications Commission, which will allocate broadcasting frequencies, is set up it should allocate a fair share of broadcasting frequencies for community use.
* The government should take into account the people’s version of the draft broadcasting bill, which ensures the access of all sectors of society to national broadcasting resources.
