Government and KPI Reach Agreement
Monday, 29 May, 2006 | 20:48 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) and the Department of Information and Communication have made an agreement regarding the granting of broadcasting licenses.

This is realized in a letter containing a joint decision regulating that the granting of broadcasting licenses must be decided through joint meetings between the government and the KPI.

Bimo Nugroho, a KPI member, said that the aim of the agreement letter was to regulate and provide services for the general public and the industrial community.

The joint decision letter contains adjustments to the government regulations on broadcasting numbers 49/2005, 50/2005 and 51/2005 as well as the State Decree 32/2002 on Broadcasting that grants broadcasting license.

The government regulation mentions that to obtain a broadcasting license, an applicant must put in a written license request to the Minister of Information and Communication via the KPI.

According to the KPI, the contents of these regulations reduce KPI’s authority and make it into nothing more than a sub-regulator under the government.

While based on the Broadcasting Law, the license is granted by the state based on input and evaluation of a hearing between the applicant and the KPI.

The frequency license grant is also KPI’s suggestion.

The government said what is meant by the state is the Department of Information and Communication.

Bimo explained that through the joint decision letter, the KPI is authorized to process broadcasting activity licenses and to recommend frequency licenses to the Directorate General of Posts and Telecommunication.

The decision for granting a broadcasting license is taken after a joint meeting between the government and the KPI.

“The broadcasting institution will receive its license after presenting an explanation at the joint meeting. So the license cannot be granted by department or the KPI,” he said.

According to Bimo, if the process runs well, a broadcasting institution would need one month at the maximum for a license to be proposed.

Nur Aini