São Paulo, November 13, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - "The level of opposition that can arise to the Brazilian digital TV project might throw us into a fight similar to the one fought more than 50 years ago in the "It's Our Petroleum" campaign, said the Minister of Telecommunications, Miro Teixeira, following a visit to the Central Workers Union (CUT).
According to the Minister, the research effort to achieve a Brazilian technological standard in the sector means placing priority on content and intellectual employment in the country. "Strictly speaking, it's a battle for Brazilian nationality, with no exaggeration," he affirmed.
The Minister pointed out that the debate over digital TV is not limited to improvements in sound and image quality, since what is involved is a process of convergence among the means of communication. "What is being discussed is who is going to control the distribution of content in the world," he said. In this sense, Teixeira revealed that there have already been multi-million propositions from developed countries interested in Brazil's basing, or at least developing, its research on the system that is being offered.
The Brazilian proposal that is being examined is the installation of a converter - which will cost between 150 and 300 reais - in analogical television sets, since the majority of Brazilians don't have computers. "If the technologies don't serve to reduce social differences, they can't be government policies," he said.
With respect to community radio concessions, the Minister announced that the 4,400 requests paralyzed since the previous Administration have already been thoroughly analyzed. Of this total, around 2,500 requests were ruled out, since they lacked community support or a well-defined project. Another 900 requests, which were ready to be processed, were finally sent to the Presidential Civilian Advisory Staff or the Congress. "In addition, I authorized 400 temporary licenses this year. We want to strengthen the community radio stations, which have to operate strictly within the law, as they already do," he affirmed. (DAS)
