by Marvin J Ramirez
From The Editor Marvin J. Ramirez
We could easily end up living under a dictatorship in the U.S. if we continue to let current forces in the extremely conservative right use religion continue putting faith over logic and using fear of terrorism as an attempt to bring down our civil liberties in the United States.
We already don’t have complete access to news.
People now sit in front of their TV, and get information that is designed to shape people’s perspectives and thoughts about what they should see, while deciding what they shouldn’t see. I think if we were shown the other side of the enchilada, we would have a revolution in this country because of the true is hiding.
Regarding the issue in Venezuela, where the government of Hugo Chávez denied the renewal of the license to Radio Caracas Television, Spanish and English-language stations in the U.S. are not showing the complete picture.
While they are making a big deal about Caracas TV, they don’t tell you that this practice is done every year in the most democratic countries in the world, and nobody makes noise about it.
An article released by a Chilean journalist shows that the International Unión de Telecomunicaciones (UIT) recognizes “in all its largeness the sovereign right of every State to regulate its telecommunications, bearing in mind the increasing importance of the telecommunications for the safe-conduct of peace and economic and social development of the States …”
Chilean journalist Ernesto Carmona shows a list of other TV licenses that were canceled or expired in the world:
- Peru, in April 2007, arranged the closing of 2 television and 3 radio stationsfor breaking the Law of Radio and Television, expired licenses and use of unauthorized equipment.
- In Uruguay, December 2006, the licenses of radio stations 94.5 FM and Concert FM of Montevideo were revoked, as well as a resolution extending signal coverage of cable Multichannel belonging to group Clarion of Argentina.
- In El Salvador, July 2003, the concession of Salvador Network was revoked.
- In Canada, June 1999, the concession to Country music, Music Televisión – CMT, was revoked.
- to Yanks Trinity to WLNS-T was revoked in April 1999; in April 1998, the FCC revokedIn the United States, the Federal Administration of Communications (FCC, its acronym in English), revoked the license of WLBT-TV in July 1969; the license the license of DAILY DIGEST (Radio). Between 1934 and 1987, 141 U.S. stations lost their licenses – among them, 102 for not renewing. In 40 cases the license was revoked without waiting for the current one to expire. During 1980s, there were 10 cases in which licenses were not renewed.
- In Europe, Spain revoked the authorization of TV Laciana (channel for local cable) in July 2004, and in April 2005 it closed the radio and TV stations of open signal in Madrid; additionally, in July of the same year, they closed Catholic TV.
- France revoked the license of TV& in February 1987; in December 2004 the authorization of Al Manar was revoked; and in December 2005 it revoked the license of TF1 for investigating the real existence of the holocaust.
- In England, the government of Margaret Thatcher cancelled the authorization of one of the biggest television stations of England, simply for having spread unpleasant news, although absolutely true. It argued that “if they had already had the station for 30 years: why did they have to have a monopoly?”
- Also in the United Kingdom, the authority arranged in the temporary closing of MED-TV-canal 22 March 1999; in August 2006, TV revoked the licenseto ONE; in January 2007, the license of Look 4 Love 2, in November 2006, StarDate TV 24; and in December 2006, it revoked to the channel of telesales AUCTIONWORD.
