Pemra deprives people of satellite signals
ISLAMABAD: The government, in a bid to keep the masses away from information regarding ongoing political developments and activities of the opposition, has placed a spanner on the import of equipment, pertaining to satellite transmission and broadcasting facilities in Pakistan.
The Ministry of Commerce through an SRO issued on Tuesday banned the import of all equipment used for reception, broadcast and distribution of satellite signals pertaining to the field of electronic media.
In a telephonic discussion between Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Secretariat, the ministry included the aforesaid amendment in Imports and Exports (Control) Act 1950, reveals a letter faxed to the Prime Minister Secretariat.
Chairman Pemra also talked to the officials in the Ministry of Commerce regarding restricting the import of equipment used for reception, broadcast and distribution of satellite signals, pertaining to the field of electronic media, the letter added. “Import shall be allowed into the country only after obtaining specific permission/NoC from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra),” the official statement added.
The equipment include satellite dishes, decoders, receivers, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG), encoder, modulator, higher power amplifier (HPA), integrated digital receiver (IRD), broadband global access network (B-GAN), low noise amplifier (LNA), low noise block (LNB), camera with satellite transmission facility and digital head end, it said. The demand and sale of satellite dish antennas and decoders has surged more than 100 per cent during the last week due to government’s ban on transmission by private television channels on cable networks.
Source: The News
Date:11/14/2007
” 
” 
” 
” 
