Noticias Ecuador - 7 radios that joined in to broadcast a show about freedom of expression will be sanctioned

The seven radio stations reported at the beginning of a process of trial by the Superintendency of Telecommunications (Supertel) will present the evidence necessary to prove that there is no legislation affecting the transmission of a program on freedom of expression last August 10.

On 6 September, the Supertel, directed by Fabián Jaramillo, notified the chains Quito, Central, Great Exa, Vision, Platinum, all of Quito, Radio City, Guayaquil, and Waves Azuay, Cuenca, to initiate a process legal, after the August 10 were linked to convey an opinion program in favor of freedom of expression.

The notification warrants Supertel Article 52 of the Rules of the Law on Radio and Television: "The stations that are associated to form a single system to transmit programming or variable must communicate this matter to the Telecommunications Authority and shall identify the station makes programs such scheduling matrix. "

The warning would be written or economic and a fine of up to ten minimum wages.

According to Miguel Rivadeneira, news director of Radio Quito, the agency took this decision because "the meeting we did some radio on August 10, but we will respond with arguments that are merely legal."

He recalled that the Constitution, in Article 66, "gives the public the right to assemble and demonstrate freely. But we are accused of forming a system and we have informed (...), but we are not forming a system, it was only a meeting of journalists, we have the right to express ourselves. "

The dean of the Faculty of Law at Catholic University in Quito, Santiago Guarderas, said that in this case the stations "were not a system and, therefore, were not obliged to notify the Superintendent of these actions."

The Supertel bases its action on the broadcast radio and a newspaper to newspaper El Comercio, which collected the comments of journalists.

Juan Carlos Solines, the late former National Telecommunications Council (Conatel), said he agrees with Guarderas and exemplified in the case of the World Cup, the television networks to broadcast the games together. The same happens with the bonds of Rafael Correa Saturdays. "There he joined Public Radio, Ecuador TV and other stations, but are not associated."