ReMC will challenge in court Spanish government plans to exclude community TV from Digital platforms

A Coruña, 14 November 2014. The Community Media Network (ReMC) has decided to file an administrative appeal against the royal decree of the Government in the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). The Government has excluded community television despite being bound by the General Law on Audiovisual Communication 2010, which plans for television frequencies to be reserved and provided to nonprofit media in all districts of the state.

“It’s amazing and a huge fumble that the Government has excluded community television communication services in the Royal Decree 805/2014,” says the general coordinator of the ReMC, Maria Navarro. “We have agreed at a special meeting to take all necessary steps to correct this illegal executive measure and  to establish the necessary partnerships to do so.”

The administrative appeal shall be submitted before the end of this month and for this you will have one of the most prestigious law firms in the country in the audiovisual field. Additionally, crowdfunding campaign will be launched to finance the costs of this action and to be taken in the future.

Favourable Precedents

There are very favorable records to trust on the success of this administrative appeal. In 2013, the Community Media Network challenged and ensure the cancellation of the allocation of radio frequencies in the City of Melilla because the executive did not include community media.

Also, the Union of Community Radios of Madrid (URCM) and the Galician radio station Cuac FM have appealed the distributions of licenses in their autonomous communities. Over the past two years, the Ombudsman has repeatedly urged the Government of Spain to implement and develop the obligations towards Community radio and television under the General Law on Audiovisual Communication .

“Discrimination against community media has to stop immediately. There are 3 TVs  associated to the ReMC that are being directly affected by this measure. But let’s draw and win this because it is another breach against the rights of citizens to receive and disseminate information through their own means, which is enshrined in Article 4 of the Audiovisual Law. And we must do it for all community broadcasters to come,”said Navarro.