Posted by Ken Haelig on September 27, 2005 at 18:18:00:
In Reply to: Re: Potential threat to web radio posted by Mike Seaver on September 27, 2005 at 17:40:41:
Agreed (in this instance) that it probably won't amount to much, but the article definitely shows there are signs of foreign resistance against the growth of technology that facilitates global broadcasting via satellite and internet.
Which is to be expected: when you compare the lyrical content of American rock'n'roll to e.g. Islamic cultural standards, there will undoubtedly be efforts to keep that music from reaching their population (which is justifiable). I'm sure we all understand that US concepts of free speech, separation of church & state, etc. are not universal. As I noted before, some religious broadcasting which is perfectly legal here violates Canadian biased-speech laws, and it may be just a matter of time before a majority of UN members seek a measure of control.
From the NewsMax article:
"This situation is very undemocratic, unfair and unreasonable,” said Sha Zukang, the ambassador from China - which recently imposed new rules that allow only "healthy and civilized” news to be read by the nation’s Internet users.
An independent group exploring the Internet’s future recently suggested that a U.N. body might be established to oversee the Web.