The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of Russia (Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications) published a bill on the portal of legal acts, according to which cable operators are planned to be required to provide access to their network to Roskomnadzor. This will allow the department to install control systems in networks.
As stated in the document, controls are necessary to verify compliance with laws “in the field of media and mass communications, television broadcasting and radio broadcasting.” According to the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, Roskomnadzor faces difficulties during control, so access to networks will simplify its work.
According to the ministry, since 2014, President Vladimir Putin has “reduced the number of direct inspections of television channels by almost 15 times.” As a result, instead of direct checks, systematic observation was introduced, during which RKN does not communicate directly with the media, but negotiates with cable operators. At the same time, operators themselves are increasingly abandoning such methods, and the growth in the number of networks increases the number of checks, as well as the costs of them.
The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications clarified that the radio frequency service has now concluded 49 agreements, which is only enough to control large cable TV channels. And broadcasters are increasingly moving from operators with control systems to those without such systems.
“This situation creates risks of dissemination of information containing public calls for terrorist activities and the overthrow of the constitutional order, extremist materials, as well as materials promoting pornography, the cult of violence and cruelty,” says the explanatory note to the bill.
Finally, according to the ministry, about 60% of TV channels and TV programs from the cable network within one constituent entity of the Russian Federation are beyond control. And in 2017, the number of pay TV subscribers grew to 42,8 million users. This number includes cable, satellite and IPTV users.
At the same time, it was stated that telecom operators will not bear the costs of installing control systems. We note that the draft law must go through a number of authorities for approval, so it is too early to talk about the timing of its adoption and implementation. At the same time, we would like to add that Roskomnadzor, commenting on the bill, said that the equipment would belong to it and that it would allow recording broadcasts of TV channels. That is, these will clearly be software and hardware systems.
Source: 3dnews.ru