U.S. HISPANIC
Argentine government´s decision holds back investments
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 1 de septiembre de 2020
Walter Burzaco
According to a statement released by ATVC, the declaration of pay-TV and Internet access—among other services—as a public service, by no means guarantees equity in the access and exercise of digital rights and freedom of expression.
“A radical and unilateral change in the game rules in the sector, in which the State intervenes coactively in the operation of companies that offer TIC services, affects legal safety and halts its development, which results in an action against the current of the regional and global legislation, and by restricting companies` decisions, they are harming the quality and expansion of the services, as well as the clients who communicate and report through them. In Argentina, there are more than 700 licensing companies that provide pay-TV and Internet to all the corners of the country and that are additionally, guarantors of the democratization of the word in their 600 local and regional channels. The DNY is also regulating and controlling expression in these media,” pointed out the entity.
They also said that by regulating prices, investments of a pioneer industry are halted and community expression spaces are limited. Along with holding back the drive of one of the most dynamic tech sectors of the Argentina economy, the huge competitive asymmetries that already exist with foreign content distribution platforms, that do not produce local content, or make investments in infrastructure, do not pay taxes nor regulatory fees and are not based in the country, will only get bigger.
“The companies we represent offer TV services through fixed and satellite networks to more than 9.1 million homes and give Internet access to 7.5 million families. We have been pioneers in offering broadband services in the country. Including the 700 S&MEs and national companies, we are proud and responsible for directly employing 30,000 specialized workers. We need this regulation to be revised”.
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