Argentina II

WHEREAS Argentine journalists expressed their strong concern and disagreement with Emergency Decree No. 1214/03 in which the executive branch provided for the opening of radio and television stations by municipalities and provinces WHEREAS with this measure the government authorizes the provinces to provide broadcast television and AM radio service, after obtaining a single permit, while municipalities may provide FM radio service and in both cases the stations may sell advertising and will not be subject to an open continuous bidding process WHEREAS these changes are a clear interference by the public sector in this area WHEREAS the decree violates the constitutional text saying that the executive branch cannot issue provisions of a legislative nature except when exceptional circumstances make it impossible to follow the ordinary procedures set out in the Constitution WHEREAS Principle 7 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “Tariff and exchange policies, licenses for the importation of paper or news-gathering equipment, the assigning of radio and television frequencies and the granting or withdrawal of government advertising may not be used to reward or punish the media or individual journalists” THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to ask President Néstor Kirchner to urgently review this measure that made very questionable changes to the Law on Radio Broadcasting and which the executive branch imposed by taking upon itself legislative powers expressly prohibited by the Constitution to ask Congress to urgently take up a new radio broadcasting law, since the one now in effect does not provide for the huge changes in electronic media communications.