The Senate decided to postpone the vote of the proposal of the new telecommunications and broadcasting law, originally scheduled for Monday at 3:00 p.m., after President Claudia Sheinbaum promised earlier that the initiative will be corrected after accusations that attempts against freedom of expression.
The Morenista Senator Guadalupe Chavira, secretary of the Legislative Studies Commission, reported that a consultation process will begin with representatives of the sector, experts and the government to change the drafting of the initiative, according to a report from the website of the Reforma newspaper.
He assured that the objective of the self -calling fourth transformation is not to censor, but to protect the rights of the audiences and expand connectivity to marginalized regions of the country.
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Chavira regretted that the opposition has distorted the content of the proposal, accusing her of diverting the attention of her true purposes.
Senator José Antonio Álvarez Lima, president of the Radio, Television and Cinematography Commission, supported Sheinbaum’s position, highlighting the need to avoid any perception of authoritarianism and guarantee democratic legislation that respects freedom of expression.
The initiative, approved in commissions in Fast Track, has generated controversy for accusations of being discretionary, concentrating and potentially censoring, especially for the creation of a digital transformation agency that would centralize from the granting of concessions to the supervision of content.
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The legislator said that next Monday the senators of Morena will meet to address the presidential suggestion and define a route that allows to listen to citizens, entrepreneurs, journalists, academics and political actors before advancing in the legislative discussion, according to a statement from the parliamentary group.
“Everything is perfectible. As long as it does not appear in the Official Gazette, everything can be improved. We are going to analyze everything. No one intends to limit anyone’s freedom. The President has said it clearly: we are building a democracy, not a dictatorship,” he said.
Regarding the concerns about article 109 of the initiative, which has been indicated by some sectors as an attempt to control social networks or digital platforms, the senator said: “If the writing lends itself to confusion, it is modified. The final claim is not to control anything, or censor anything. It is about making laws where the free expression and the success of the companies flourish, and where the voices that have never been heard.
In its article 109, the new law establishes that “the competent authorities may request the collaboration of the agency (digital transformation) for temporary blockage to a digital platform in cases where it is appropriate for non -compliance with provisions or obligations provided” in “applicable regulations”.
It is not yet defined when opinion will be addressed: Fernández Noroña
The president of the Board of Directors, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, clarified that it is not yet defined whether the opinion will be addressed in Monday’s session, if a consultation on the project is opened or addressed in an extraordinary period, according to a statement from the Senate.
In a video store published on social networks, the senator commented that the decision will be valued with President Claudia Sheinbaum.
He said that a discussion and legitimate interest have been generated for the possibility that this law is not approved, which is scheduled for Monday’s session and “will remain scheduled for Monday.”
“We will see in the assessment with President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, if we open an additional discussion process or approved in this period, or send the extraordinary session period,” he said.
This Friday, President Sheinbaum said that article 109 has to be modified “to be clear, eliminate, that is not the objective of the law. If you create confusion and you think it is to censor, it has never been the objective, and in any case the article is removed, the writing is modified.”
The President promised to rectify the initiative that sent the Senate on Wednesday, and that it was approved yesterday in commissions, issued by the law on telecommunications and broadcasting “so that it is absolutely clear that the Government of Mexico will not censor.”
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