Iranian parliament members are setting in motion a bill which would reportedly grant Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting absolute authority over production and publication of video and audio content in the country.
The Majlis Cultural Commission has already approved sections of the bill that give the IRIB powers to issue licenses and set rules for production and distribution of video and audio content, reported ICT Ministry’s website.
The ratified sections do not specify the extent of IRIB’s reach, but the bill includes articles which concern online services, a part, ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi does not see eye to eye with. This part was to be discussed in the commission on Monday. By the time this article went to print no further report had emerged about the motion.
In recent years, as the application of online services has gained momentum in the country, IRIB has tried to hold sway over the content published on the Internet, to no avail until now.
Should the bill go through in the open session before all lawmakers, the IRIB would become the supreme regulator of production and publication of audio and video content in Iran; a role which under the Constitution has been assigned to the Ministry of Culture.
Furthermore, since IRIB also creates content itself, observers are wary that implementation of the bill can lead to the establishment of an ironclad grip by the state institution over the sector.
ICT Minister says the bill would create competition between the state and the private sector, something deemed illegal according to Article 44 of the Constitution. Article 44 calls for privatization of major state-owned companies and curbing government’s role in the economy.
Ministerial Backlash
The minister took to Twitter in early hours of Monday to stake out his disapproval. “With all due respect to the members of the Cultural Commission, enacting laws regarding audio and video content without first defining their extent could pose serious obstacles in the way of content production.”
In order to better explain the situation, Azari-Jahromi had an interview with IRNA on Monday in relation to the bill, explaining the technicalities of the proposed legislation.
According to Azari-Jahromi, online audio and video content are categorized into three groups, one is Video on Demand (VOD), the other User-Generated Content (UGC) and the third category is Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).
The bill will grant the IRIB exclusive authority over audio and video content that will constitute VOD, UGD, IPTV and any media channel with more than 5,000 members.
Azari-Jahromi emphasized that IRIB’s role should be limited to IPTV only and it should not enter other realms.
He added, “Since the IRIB controls the broadcast TV, they believe they must also supervise broadband content. They also argue that publication of any video and audio content online must be under the supervision and management of the company and in compliance with IRIB rules.”
The state entity has previously filed complaints against private companies active in content production so as to curb their growing presence in the market. The struggle is ongoing.
Azari-Jahromi says IRIB intends to draft rules, execute them and have ownership of media outlets in the audio and video sector.
“They have signed a contract, held an auction and picked five contractors. IRIB has announced to media activists that they are to provide the organization with guarantees and commitments and concede 50% of their revenue to them.”
The young minister says if a company decided to foray into media production, in addition to their fixed costs, they would be obliged to grant half their revenue to the IRIB. This will harm the public since it leads to overpriced items.
The economic model the IRIB pursues will hinder the growth of content production and the private sector.
Deciphering the Bill
None of the reports on the bill include a copy of it; therefore, lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to decipher the initial vague statements about the motion. However, collectively they have not been able to put the public concerns to rest. An example of such explanations is as follows.
The spokesman for the Cultural Commission, Ahmad Azadikhah, says the word “monopoly” mentioned in the bill does not mean that firms will be barred from the establishment of private televisions; it merely means they have to acquire licenses from IRIB.
In response to ICT Minister’s almost strong-worded criticism of the bill, Azadikhah said, “Establishing [the required] infrastructures for delivering audio and video content falls in the jurisdiction of the ICT Ministry; however, the institution in charge of licensing private televisions and radios will be the IRIB.”
He further explained that the audio and video programs produced by news outlets will not be subject to IRIB rules since they are not considered video/audio distributors and their content is published online.
Private Sector Furious
One of the parties directly influenced by the proposed legislation is video-sharing service Aparat.
Digiato interviewed Mohammad Javad Shakouri Moqaddam, CEO of the company, who says the Ministry of Culture is and needs to continue to be the regulator of such content, not the IRIB.
The CEO is of the opinion that Internet cannot be contained and IRIB’s attempts will prove futile over time.
Aparat has over 35 million users and is the most visited website in Iran following Google.
