Il Gruppo di Lavoro Giuridico misto, che si incontrerà a Roma, presso la sede della Direzione Generale della SIAE, indicativamente ogni 15 giorni, svolgerà uno studio approfondito per dare la possibilità agli autori che hanno optato per il rilascio delle proprie opere con licenze libere, riservandosi gli usi commerciali, di affidare alla SIAE la raccolta e
distribuzione dei relativi proventi.

Il primo incontro ha avuto luogo il 9 gennaio 2009.

CREATIVE COMMONS ITALIA
Il gruppo di lavoro Creative Commons Italia gestisce, su mandato di Creative Commons Corporation (http://creativecommons.org), la versione italiana delle licenze Creative Commons, ne spiega il funzionamento e ne promuove l’utilizzo. Gestisce inoltre il sito ufficiale http://creativecommons.it, dove sono disponibili ulteriori informazioni
e notizie su Creative Commons.
Creative Commons Italia è un progetto del Centro NEXA su Internet & Società del Politecnico di Torino, http://nexa.polito.it.

The sentence emitted by the High Court accepts the Appeal noticed by the Unión de Radios Libres y Comunitarias de Madrid (UCRM) against the modification of the Decree 29/2003, by which the Comunidad de Madrid modified the normative concerning the FM radio frequencies granting. The modification of the Decree suppressed the cultural and/or not-for-profit stations and established that only the “commercial stations” and the “municipal stations” could access to the broadcasting service.

According the Decree’s preliminary recitals, the Madrid’s government suppressed the “cultural stations” because the State’s planning does not permit to grant frequencies to that kind of stations, a question
which has been denied several occasions by the Central Government. Now, the High Court overturns the Decree’s modification

Despite the sentence does not improve the community and free stations legal status, it is important since it prevents the removal of the not-for-profit stations from the broadcasting regulation; furthermore, it recognizes the UCRM and the community and free radios as interlocutors before the Administration and as a particular sector within the audiovisual landscape.

This sentence was preceded by other emitted recently by the Madrid’s High Court of Justice that quashes the Digital TV frequencies granting by the Comunidad de Madrid due to the lack of transparency.

El pasado 19 de diciembre el Gobierno Canario hacía público el contenido del Proyecto de Decreto de Radiodifusión, y lo ha sometido a trámite de audiencia pública antes de su aprobación definitiva. El texto elaborado no recoge la existencia de emisoras comunitarias ni cita la posibilidad de que
entidades sin ánimo de lucro accedan a frecuencias viniendo a indicar que el decreto se destina a emisoras comerciales. El propio texto de decreto recoge lo siguiente:
“…Es objeto del presente decreto la regulación del servicio de radiodifusión sonora en ondas métricas con modulación de frecuencia para su gestión indirecta por personas físicas o jurídicas privadas con la finalidad de difundir cualquier tipo de programa con emisión de publicidad o empleando fórmulas de patrocinio comercial…”

El Gobierno Canario no ha tenido en consideración las propuestas y sugerencias realizadas desde AMARC-Europa y por las radios comunitarias canarias a la hora de elaborar este Decreto.
Tampoco se ha tenido en consideración la recomendaciones del Parlamento Europeo que en su resolución del 25 de septiembre pedía el ““…reconocimiento legal a los medios comunitarios (TSC) como grupo definido, junto a los medios de comunicación comerciales y públicos, cuando
no exista este reconocimiento legal…”.

Cararias dispone de 156 frecuencias pendientes de adjudicar. En la actualidad operan más de 400 emisoras privadas pero sólo 44 de ellas cuentan con licencia ya que desde 1990 no se otorgan concesiones.
En Canarias hay una importante trayectoria de emisoras comunitarias, la más antigua es Radio Guiniguada en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, que emite desde hace 25 años, sin haber podido tener posibilidad de contar con un reconocimiento legal.

Marino Sanchez, presidente de AMARC-Europa, al conocer el contenido del Proyecto de Decreto ha mostrado su preocupación ante el desinterés del Gobierno Canario de renonocer a las emisoras comunitarias.

Para más información:
Mariano Sánchez
Presidente de AMARC-Europa
mariano.sanchez@radiovallekas.org

On January 8th 2009 the Minister of Culture will inaugurate ”Frikanalen” – the new Open Channel in Norway, which will be broadcast from Oslo on the national DTT-network. The DTT-network established in 2008 is now reaching 98 percent of the Norwegian households. Frikanalen is a non-profit open channel for NGOs and today has 57 member organisations from start. Since October 2008 Frikanalen has been test broadcasting in the afternoons but will later this year broadcast 24 hours a day.

In Denmark the Ministry of Culture has proposed a new media regulation that will make it possible to broadcast non-commercial regional or national community television on the DTT-network from November 2009.  NGO’s will be able to choose broadcast over one of eight regions solely or nationally to all regions. This will make it possible to create two levels;  a geographical and an idea oriented/public interest level. The channel will be part of the public service multiplex in the DTT-network.  The annual state support of 3.5 million euro (financed by the TV license fee) to non-commercial local television broadcast on cable will cease 2010 and will be shifted to support this regional/national community television on DTT instead.

Denmark has a long tradition of non-commercial community television on cable (and on UHF in Copenhagen) in contrast to Norway where community television has been very limited. In Sweden, the first country in the world to switch off analogue television, the cablebound Open Channels have asked to the government to open the DTT-network for community television.

At a seminar preceding the inauguration there will be MP’s from the Norwegian parliament present as well as from the European parliament (Karin Resetarits). I will be one of the speakers at the seminar.

It might be a good idea to spead the news about what is developing in Denmark and Norway to media politicians in other countries in the EU. DTT might become the best opportunity for a viable community television in Europe.

From: Christer Hederström, Community Media Forum Europe, Stockholm, Sweden