ArmInfo. The draft law "On Audiovisual Media", adopted by the National Assembly on first reading, is of serious concern to some media representatives. Thus, the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, Yerevan Press Club, Media Presentation Center, "Asparez" Journalists Club, Free Information Center, Media Diversity Institute - Armenia, Public Journalism Club, <Journalists for the Future> and <Journalists for Human Rights> made a statement in this regard.
The statement said that the bill is not only not aimed at reforming the broadcasting sector, but is also very imperfect in terms of the principles, approaches and their wording applied.
<The bill provides for inefficient competition for licensing excessive broadcasting using a public multiplex, it does not provide realistic mechanisms for creating private multiplexes, does not solve the problems of about 10 local television stations in regions that are not digitalized, and does not create opportunities for public broadcast reform>, the statement reads. It is also noted that some journalistic organizations that signed this statement submitted several dozens of proposals to the authors of the document, and most of them were accepted. However, it is obvious that the project does not meet modern requirements and does not solve key issues in this area. The main reason is that the bill is built on a problematic conceptual basis, and in this sense it needs to be reviewed.
Another cause for concern was the fact that the authors of the document did not want to listen to calls for sending the project for international expertise to the Council of Europe and / or the OSCE, which expressed their willingness to help. <We understand that the urgency of the bill is due to the fact that according to the current Law on Television and Radio, licenses of television companies expire this year, and regular tenders should be organized. However, based on the need to adopt a new high-quality law, they can be postponed>, the statement says.
In view of the foregoing, the authors of the statement call for extracting a draft law on audiovisual media from circulation and send it for international examination. Also make appropriate changes and additions to the current Law on Television and Radio in order to postpone the next licensed bidding. To initiate discussions and form a working group with the participation of lawmakers of the National Assembly, journalistic organizations, representatives of television and radio companies, independent experts with the aim of developing a new law regulating the concept of development of the broadcasting sector and regulating the industry.