The Arab States Charter for Satellite Television

Arab ministers of information recently adopted a charter calling for regulation of satellite television broadcasting. This charter was adopted after an extensive public debate by all Arab countries except Qatar. Qatar has not rejected the charter and has requested additional time to review the document. An article in the charter has generated a great deal of debate and some condemnation from a number of international media watchdog organizations, which have expressed concern that the states’ control over satellite broadcasters operating in their countries could be used to suppress independent and critical media voices. This kind of criticism, while understandable, is not new. In fact, it has been expressed every time there has been movement to regulate electronic media, such as when UNESCO, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA), launched a set of Guidelines for Broadcasting Regulation. Regulating broadcasting is not a new concept to most of the world; however, it is new to countries in the Arab world, which have used a broadcast code of ethics instead of the body of rules and regulations that should govern the industry in general. The recently adopted Charter that is being vilified by media watchdogs is not so much different than the charters of many of the world’s broadcasting networks, such as NHK, BBC, and others, or national broadcasting regulators, like the broadcasting charter of the European Commission and the U.S.’s Federal Communication Commission (FCC)

Charter · Political science · Satellite · Telecommunications · Computer Science · Engineering · Global Trade and Competitiveness · International Arbitration and Investment Law · Law · World Trade Organization Law · Aerospace Engineering

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