VIENNA, 13 July 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said that media laws under consideration by the Parliament in Moldova run counter to international standards on media freedom.

On 7 July the Parliament adopted, in the first reading, three amendments to the Audio-visual Code of the Republic of Moldova. All three amendments aim to limit broadcasts in foreign languages or those originating from abroad.

“It is counterproductive to try to limit speech through excessively restrictive legislation,” Mijatović wrote in a letter yesterday to the Chairperson of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Andrian Candu. “In my view it seems excessive and may be ineffective.”

The reasoning given for introducing the restrictive provisions banning broadcasts or rebroadcasts of certain content is that it originates from states that are neither members of the European Union, nor are parties to the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. 

“I trust that the draft laws will be carefully reviewed by the members of Parliament before being adopted in the second reading, ensuring that the regulation does not pose undue limits on free expression and free flow of information,” Mijatović said.

The Representative also pointed to the recommendations of her Office’s non-paper “Propaganda and Freedom of the Media” published in 2015 (available at www.osce.org/fom/203926).

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom. 

Related Stories

• OSCE Representative condemns incidents directed at journalists and independent voices in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• OSCE Representative condemns murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet in Ukraine
• Russia’s labeling of journalists as terrorists a threat to media freedom, OSCE Representative says

The finalization of a Regulatory Reform Roadmap for Armenia was the focus of a workshop co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the Ministry of Justice of Armenia and the OSCE Office in Yerevan on 27 and 28 May 2016 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.

The workshop provided an opportunity for participants from the executive branch, the legislature, civil society and international organizations to exchange views on how to improve the overall process of lawmaking in the country. Topics discussed included policy-making and legislative planning, public consultations and regulatory impact assessment, as well as monitoring and evaluation of legislation.

The purpose of the workshop was to discuss recommendations for reform from previous thematic lawmaking workshops, conducted in Armenia in 2015, and from OSCE/ODIHR’s 2014 report on the “Comprehensive Assessment of the Legislative Procedure in Armenia”. These recommendations were consolidated in a draft Regulatory Reform Roadmap with concrete action points in early 2016, and this draft provided a basis for workshop discussions.

"The recommendations in the draft Regulatory Reform Roadmap focus on identifying workable solutions and were developed by key Armenian stakeholders during a series of discussions," said Alice Thomas, Chief of ODIHR’s Legislative Support Unit. "The draft Roadmap thus constitutes a home-grown plan for action to address weaknesses identified in the Armenian lawmaking system during discussions at our 2015 workshops."

Arsen Mkrtchyan, First Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia, said: "We have already begun initiating reforms as indicated in the draft Roadmap. This workshop will help us finalize this document, which will be very useful in helping us plan and implement additional reform processes to make our legislative process less burdensome and more planned, transparent, and participatory."

The consolidating workshop begins the final stage of the process of drafting a Regulatory Reform Roadmap for Armenia, as envisaged by the Memorandum of Understanding signed between OSCE/ODIHR and the Ministry of Justice in 2014. Once ready, the Roadmap will form the basis for future reforms of the legislative process in the country.

Related Stories

• OSCE/ODIHR workshop in Armenia focuses on regular monitoring of the implementation of laws as an important element of the law-making process
• ODIHR trains prosecutors and lawyers in Kyrgyzstan on international standards regarding freedom of religion or belief
• OSCE/ODIHR final report on early parliamentary elections in Serbia recommends comprehensive review of legislation and ensuring the level playing field for contestants

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 14 March 2016 - The OSCE Mission in Kosovo held today the first of a series of four roundtables to be held this month on the ways to secure financing for the public service broadcaster, Radio Television Kosovo (RTK).

Through these roundtables, the Mission will consult a wide range of experts - journalists, Members of Parliament, academia, representatives of NGOs and media institutions - on the impact of the lack of financing on the public service broadcaster and its editorial policy, as well as on its further development.

The RTK has been without sustainable financing since 2009 when a court suspended the funding of RTK  through household electricity bills, citing human rights and discrimination concerns.

“We are in 2016 and alternative and viable funding options for the financing of RTK are still being considered, pending a final decision. On-going issues pertaining to the financing mechanisms and to the Law on RTK have to urgently be solved,” said Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

“Without sustainable financing, the public broadcaster cannot develop into a full-fledged service provider for its audience. In addition, the already-existing delays with the digitalization process are exacerbated by this lack of funding,” he added.  

The roundtables will be followed-up with a regional conference in April, with experts from the Western Balkans and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), to come up with recommendations, for relevant institutions to consider while amending and implementing the Law on RTK.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with the protection and promotion of human rights, democratization, and public safety sector development. It helps safeguard freedom of the media and freedom of expression and supports media development.

Related Stories

• OSCE Mission in Kosovo helps youth pursue careers in journalism, promote freedom of expression
• OSCE Mission assesses implementation of new Criminal Procedure Code of Kosovo
• OSCE Mission trains legal professionals from northern Kosovo on fair trial rights

VIENNA, 13 July 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said that media laws under consideration by the Parliament in Moldova run counter to international standards on media freedom.

On 7 July the Parliament adopted, in the first reading, three amendments to the Audio-visual Code of the Republic of Moldova. All three amendments aim to limit broadcasts in foreign languages or those originating from abroad.

“It is counterproductive to try to limit speech through excessively restrictive legislation,” Mijatović wrote in a letter yesterday to the Chairperson of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Andrian Candu. “In my view it seems excessive and may be ineffective.”

The reasoning given for introducing the restrictive provisions banning broadcasts or rebroadcasts of certain content is that it originates from states that are neither members of the European Union, nor are parties to the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. 

“I trust that the draft laws will be carefully reviewed by the members of Parliament before being adopted in the second reading, ensuring that the regulation does not pose undue limits on free expression and free flow of information,” Mijatović said.

The Representative also pointed to the recommendations of her Office’s non-paper “Propaganda and Freedom of the Media” published in 2015 (available at www.osce.org/fom/203926).

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom. 

Related Stories

• OSCE Representative condemns incidents directed at journalists and independent voices in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• OSCE Representative condemns murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet in Ukraine
• Russia’s labeling of journalists as terrorists a threat to media freedom, OSCE Representative says

Mikayla Cluff, Haley McCutcheon, and Adriana scored for coach Seb Hines' team.

Mike Shannon, a two-time World Series winner and longtime St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster, has died. He was 83.

Requirements for safety confirmation and broadcast message service for disaster relief

Crowdsourcing approach for the assessment of end-to-end quality of service in fixed and mobile broadband networks

Test signals to be used by the broadcasting organizations during the preparatory period

Measurements to be made by the broadcasting organizations during the preparatory period

Internet of things and smart cities and communities standards roadmap

FSTP-RTM - Roadmap for Telemedicine

Wireline broadband access networks and home networking

Using submarine cables for climate monitoring and disaster warning - Strategy and roadmap

HSTP-IPTV-GUIDE.1 - IPTV service deployment scenarios in high-speed broadband era

JSTP-IBBDTV - Integrated broadcast-broadband digital TV application cooperated with server for functional extension including functions of digital TV reception and processing

JSTP-IPVB-ACC - Analysis of the cost and complexity of IP video broadcast (IPVB) technology

JSTP-IPVB-UC - Use cases and service scenario of IP video broadcast (IPVB) for CATV networks

XSTP-5GsecRM - 5G security standardization roadmap

Implementation of the ITU-T international standards for the sustainable management of electrical and electronic equipment: on the road to a circular economy in Argentina

TR.ba-iot - Broadcast authentication scheme for Internet of things (IoT) system

GSTR-RQ- Roadmap for QoS and QoE in the ITU-T Study Group 12 context

Terms, definitions and acronyms for television and sound transmission and integrated broadband cable networks

Architecture for an application control framework using integrated broadcast and broadband digital television

Specification for an integrated broadcast and broadband digital television application control framework

Requirements of IP video broadcast (IPVB) for cable TV networks

Requirements for smart broadband network gateway in multimedia content transmission

Signalling requirements for broadband network gateway pool

Signalling requirements for the separation of control plane and user plane in a virtualized broadband network gateway (vBNG)

Read the book, Typographic Firsts

This month, Steven Heller takes a closer look at the Roadhouse font family.

The post Steven Heller’s Font of the Month: Roadhouse appeared first on I Love Typography.

Comcast would've returned to broadband sub growth without ACP impact lightreading.com
Finally, a sign of life for Europe s sovereign satellite Internet constellation arstechnica.com
SpaceX five satellite launches away from bringing T-Mobile users Direct-to-Cell service phonearena.com
Altice USA aims to fix broken video model with more flexible pay-TV options lightreading.com
Indonesia bans sales of Pixel smartphones, saying Google must comply with rules requiring 40% local content in smartphones, days after banning iPhone 16 techcrunch.com
VGHF, Libraries Lose Again On DMCA Exemption Request To Preserve Old Video Games techdirt.com
read comment(s)

Telecoms Bankroll More Misleading Attacks On Community Broadband Networks techdirt.com
Canada's BCE to acquire US internet firm Ziply for $3.6 bln reuters.com
How hackers used infostealer malware to breach AT&T, Ticketmaster, Santander, EA, and more, as global law enforcement tries to shut down the growing industry wired.com
Apple's satellite ambitions get $1.1B bigger lightreading.com
NTIA Announces Approval of Eleven States Digital Equity Capacity Grant Applications telecompetitor.com
T-Mobile plans to use OpenAI's tech for a customer service bot slated for 2025 that can refer to customer-specific data, and will pay $100M over three years theinformation.com
CMA 'provisionally' accepts Vodafone and Three s merger remedies mobileeurope.co.uk
read comment(s)

Net Neutrality Heads Back To Court; Corrupt Supreme Court Could Dismantle U.S. Broadband Consumer Protection techdirt.com
What a Trump victory means for tech: antitrust woes die down, except for Google, TikTok survives, AI progress accelerates, social media shifts right, and more nytimes.com
Cellular Providers Leverage Q3 Phone Promotions in Battle for Customers telecompetitor.com
Frontier adds record fiber subs as shareholder vote looms lightreading.com
Canada orders TikTok's business in the country to be dissolved, citing national security risks, but says it is not blocking Canadians' access to the app reuters.com
T-Mobile deploys private 5G for Jacksonville shuttle service rcrwireless.com
read comment(s)

Baidu releases new AI offerings on the way to broader commercialization of the technology  Computerworld

The company is pushing forward with its goal of connecting 1.9m premises in Ireland to its fibre network.

Read more: Eir says 93pc of broadband customers are hooked up to fibre

Every primary and secondary school in Ireland now has fast broadband, said Minister of State Ossian Smyth, TD.

Read more: National Broadband Plan halfway to target, EY report finds

IRE attendees can hear from RT3 roofing contractor members directly about starting a digital transition within their own companies.

Learn first-hand how RC’s 2021 Residential Roofing Contractor of the Year prepared for, executed and maintains a path for explosive growth.

JLK Contracting, Inc. roofed a new warehouse facility in Bethlehem, Penn., by using new 16-foot-wide TPO membrane rolls from Versico. 

If you couldn't make it to Best of Success 2019, or want a recap of the presentations, register for our free Broadcast Live program to view on-demand video sessions.

There's still time to be a part of Best of Success 2021, even if you can't be there in person, with RC's Broadcasting Live.

Beatriz Corredor hizo una presentación en Londres para promocionar la venta del excedente de casas en su país, pero no dio respuesta a los británicos que compraron en España y ahora han sido demolidas o no han llegado a construirse.

[Ghanaian Times] The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, says the next NDC government will revisit the cocoa roads project when he wins the December 7, 2024 elections.

Gabe Camarillo, the undersecretary of the Army, said the new digital engineering policy will bring the service more in-line with industry best practices.

The post Army sets stage for broader adoption of digital engineering first appeared on Federal News Network.

Gigi Schumm welcomes Mary Erickson, deputy director of the National Weather Service, to talk changes in weather forecasting and your career path.

The post Weather Service deputy director talks value of broadening horizons first appeared on Federal News Network.

TSA's proposed cybersecurity regulation aims to ensure "higher-risk" pipelines and railways are defended from cyber attacks.

The post TSA proposes cybersecurity requirements for pipelines, railroad operators first appeared on Federal News Network.

Smart machines can provide manufacturers with invaluable real-time insights into shop floor productivity, inventory, and potential quality and maintenance issues.

But buying new machinery to harness the Internet of Things (IoT) can be hard to justify, especially when interest rates remain high.

A-SAFE, the workplace efficiency and safety solutions provider, hosted the final event of the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) Roadshow on October 3 at its Fathom3 R&D facility in Elland, Yorkshire.

Barilla, the pasta producer, has achieved 80% visibility into the entire lifecycle of its ocean and road shipments, thanks to supply chain visibility provider FourKites.

As the United Nations' Global Digital Compact (GDC) approaches its expected adoption, a growing chorus of critics warns that it threatens the very foundations of multistakeholderism in Internet governance. While the GDC aims to foster global cooperation and advance shared objectives for digital transformation, it not only centralizes power within the UN but also sidelines the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) - a platform that has, for years, been instrumental in amplifying diverse voices, especially from marginalized communities and the private sector.