(AMARC/IFEX) – On 4 August 2004, the community radio station in Restinga, Porto Alegre, was shut down by 12 police officers and officials from ANATEL, the broadcasting regulator. The officers disconnected the transmitter and the telephone and confiscated all of the station’s equipment. ANATEL officials presented a court order issued by a Porto Alegre criminal […]
(AMARC/IFEX) – On 4 August 2004, the community radio station in Restinga, Porto Alegre, was shut down by 12 police officers and officials from ANATEL, the broadcasting regulator. The officers disconnected the transmitter and the telephone and confiscated all of the station’s equipment.
ANATEL officials presented a court order issued by a Porto Alegre criminal court and entered the station without awaiting the arrival of management or the station’s lawyers.
Marisa Godhino, president of the Restinga Cultural and Community Radio Association, said she was not notified of the court order and only learned of the incident from community members once officials were already inside the station.
“We’re shocked by the presence of so many police officers, which seems like an excessive show of force,” she said. On her arrival at the station, a police officer barred her entry and she was only given a copy of the court order.
This is the second time the station has been shut down in the last two years, despite the fact that their licensing application is pending before the authorities. Hundreds of applications across the country have been held up by lengthy bureaucratic procedures that have become yet another obstacle for communities and other groups who wish to access the airwaves.
Brazil has one of the most restrictive and discriminatory laws regarding community radio. According to AMARC, these regulations hinder free expression by limiting broadcasts to a within a one-kilometre radius of the transmitter. The regulations also prohibit community radio stations from advertising or generating revenue by any other means, while other stations are not subject to such restrictions. Furthermore, community radio stations must share one frequency even though there are thousands available in the country.
