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Digital TV broadcasting prone to censorship, says expert
A TVRI studio crew films an afternoon news program
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A TVRI studio crew films an afternoon news program. (JP/R.Berto Wedhatama) (JP/R.Berto Wedhatama)
A TVRI studio crew films an afternoon news program. (JP/R.Berto Wedhatama)
The House of Representatives has outlined a policy to digitize broadcasting in a draft revision of the 2002 Broadcasting Law, which could make it easier for the government to control television programs in the future, according to an expert.
The revision was first proposed to the House in 2010, but has yet to make it into law. Last January, the House's Legislation Body included the same bill in the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). The House then started work on the draft before eventually discussing it with the government.
'The migration of analog to digital TV broadcasting is one of the main points in the revision of the law,' lawmaker Meutya Hafid said on Monday.
After the migration, the government would be able to allocate the 700-MHz band ' which is now used for analog TV broadcasting ' to develop broadband in a bid to provide faster internet, Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said in 2015.
The government would also be able to more easily control broadcasting content, said Hargyo Tri Nugroho, an information and communications technology lecturer at Multimedia Nusantara University, on Tuesday.
'With the use of beat stream in digital broadcasting, the government could censor or block content easily,' he said. 'So you couldn't watch some digital content if you had no permit.'
On the other hand, the quality of digital TV broadcasting would be better than analog, he added. Data packages would be sent with a transmitter to digital TVs across Indonesia, even in remote places. It is different to analog broadcasting, which can be interrupted by bad weather or tall buildings.
'Both providers and consumers need to change their infrastructure. The providers have to buy new transmitters, and the consumers need to buy new digital TVs or at least use converters for their old analog TVs,' Hargyo said. 'They all need to adapt to digital TV broadcasting.' (vps/bbn)
