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Media sustainability bill enters final phase after delays
The Communications and Information Ministry expects the draft to be signed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo around National Press Day in February.
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A journalist walks past the Press Council Building on Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta on Feb. 6, 2017. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he government has reached the final phase in drafting legislation that will require tech giants to pay media outlets for news, the Communications and Information Ministry has said, despite months of delays due to stalled negotiations among publishers and platforms.
The media sustainability bill awaits the signature of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, which the ministry expects to take place around National Press Day in February.
“In principle, all steps have been completed and there are no obstacles to signing the bill,” Indriaswati “Indri” Dyah Saptaningrum, a member of Deputy Communications and Information Minister Nezar Patria’s special staff, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
However, Indri said the process was still subject to both a decision from the State Secretariat and the general election on Feb. 14. “[The signing process] may be affected because National Press Day falls around polling day,” she said.
The State Secretariat was not immediately available for comment.
The draft law aims to address publishers’ longstanding complaints that they are losing revenue to online platforms, as tech giants benefit from using news content in search results or other features without proper compensation.
The government is also aware that 60 percent of the country's advertising market is dominated by Big Tech, depriving significant revenue from news outlets, especially those that do not rely on user subscription.
