EBU says Syria suspected of jamming satellite broadcasts

GENEVA | Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:24am EDT

(Reuters) - Syria is suspected of jamming broadcasts by the BBC, France 24, Deutsche Welle and the Voice of America, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in a statement on Monday, citing satellite operator Eutelsat.
Eutelsat had already blamed Iran for deliberately jamming satellite signals on October 4, but the EBU said Eutelat had reported "deliberate and intermittent interference" from regional ally Syria as well.
"Access to information is a universal human right and an essential component for democracy. We deplore this attack on media freedom," EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said.
The EBU said the jamming may be linked to Eutelsat's decision to stop carrying 19 channels operated by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, which were taken off air to comply with tougher European Union sanctions.
Deliberate interference with broadcast signals is banned by the International Telecommunication Union, a U.N. body which includes both Iran and Syria among its membership.
(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Alison Williams)

Jamming interrupts Western broadcasters

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Jamming interrupts Western broadcasters

Programming from the Deutsche Welle and other foreign broadcasters has been jammed in parts of the Middle East. DW Director General Erik Betterman called the interruption an attack on freedom of the press.

Western radio and television broadcasts to parts of the Middle East have apparently been cut off because of a targeted jamming attack. In addition to programming by Deutsche Welle, the BBC and Voice of America have also been affected.
European satellite operator Eutelsat said earlier this week that the "deliberate and intermittent interference" originated in Syria.
Deutsche Welle programming was last interrupted on Thursday morning (18.10.2012). DW Director General Erik Bettermann protested against the renewed attack on freedom of expression. In cooperation with other foreign broadcasters, the Deutsche Welle was preparing a resolution against the jamming, Bettermann said.
Experts suspected that Iran was behind the current interruptions. According to media reports, the country has jammed reception of a variety of broadcasters in recent years.
The most recent episode, experts said, could be connected to a Eutelsat decision to stop carrying 19 Iranian channels. The satellite operator on Monday stopped broadcasting television and radio stations operated by Iran's state media organization, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Effective immediately, the programming offered by these channels, including the international news channel "Press TV," is no longer available outside of Iran.
Eutelsat has stopped broadcasting television and radio stations operated by Iran's state media organization, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Effective immediately, the programming offered by these channels is no longer available outside of Iran. Among the 19 stations affected by the decision is the international news channel, Press TV.
The European satellite operator justified its actions by referring to a March decision by the Council of the European Union, when EU leaders placed IRIB head Ezzatollah Zarghami on its list of sanctioned persons. Eutelsat, which is based in France, also cited a request by the French broadcasting authority to shut down IRIB channel Sahar 1 TV.
Iran considers legal action

IRIB head Zarghami, left, is on the EU's list of sanctioned persons

Iran has protested the decision, calling it an attempt "to prevent a dissenting voice to the broadcasting of Western thinking." Speaking with DW, the Iranian embassy in Berlin said Eutelsat's actions were illegal and a clear violation of press freedoms and freedom of expression. "The Islamist Republic reserves the right to take legal action against these measures," said a spokesperson.
Anja Zimmer, head of the German Federation of Journalists (DJV) in North Rhine-Westphalia, was also critical of Eutelsat's decision. "Regardless of this case, a broadcaster should not be prevented from airing its programming," she said. "A satellite operator should, on principle, not censor its content."
Censorship and show trials
It's somewhat of a surprise that the Iranian regime chose to use the "freedom of expression" argument to make its case. This is the same country that ranked near the bottom of the latest press freedom index published annually by Reporters Without Borders. Iran was ranked 175th of 179 countries.
"I don't find it terribly convincing that a country that so obviously tramples press freedoms is now so enraged," said Zimmer. "After all, the information broadcast to the public by Iranian state radio is rather more filtered than free, to put it mildly. That this country would now dare to bring up the issue of press freedom is surprising."
IRIB also didn't balk at showing forced confessions and show trails in August 2009 and December 2011, clear violations of international law that resulted in the EU Council's decision to sanction IRIB head Zarghami.

Iran has ranked poorly on the press freedom index

The Iranian regime and Eutelsat were involved in another conflict a few weeks ago, when the satellite operator complained that Iran had been disrupting the domestic transmissions from the Persian-language offerings of Western broadcasters - an accusation that Tehran has denied.

DW.DE

Statement regarding interference to BBC World News and World Service transmissions

Date: 18.10.2012Last updated: 18.10.2012 at 11.01

Category: World Service; BBC World News

The following statement has been issued by the BBC.

The BBC, together with a number of other broadcasters, is experiencing deliberate, intermittent interference to its transmissions to audiences in Europe and the Middle East.
Impacted services include the BBC World News and BBC Arabic television channels and BBC World Service radio services in English and Arabic.
Deliberate interference such as the jamming of transmissions is a blatant violation of international regulations concerning the use of satellites and we strongly condemn any practice designed to disrupt audiences’ free access to news and information.
BBC Press Office

Iran resumes satellite jamming of VOA, BBC, Radio Farda (updated).

Posted: 05 Oct 2012   Print   Send a link

RFE/RL, 4 Oct 2012, citing agencies: "U.S. international broadcasting into Iran is being jammed again. A U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) statement says the jamming may be connected with demonstrations and mass arrests on October 3 as Iranians protested the plummeting value of Iran's rial currency. The BBG says recent interference began on October 3, affecting signals from RFE/RL's Radio Farda and Voice of America's Persian service. It says the interference also affected other U.S. international programs carried by Eutelsat satellites, including Georgian, Armenian and Balkan-language broadcasts."

Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 3 Oct 2012: "'The jamming of news delivered by satellite into Iran is an outrage, a deplorable violation of well-established international agreements,' said International Broadcasting Bureau Director Richard M. Lobo. 'Freedom of information is a universal human right as well as an essential component for the health of any nation.' The practice of deliberate interference with broadcast signals, known as 'jamming,' is prohibited under rules of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). ... The jamming affected three satellite transponders operated by Eutelsat and those most popular among Iranian viewers: HotBird 13B, Eutelsat 25A and Eutelsat 7A. Viewers said the signals reappear intermittently, and that less-popular satellites are not impacted. ... VOA and RFE/RL programs continue to be broadcast on diverse media platforms, including digital audio and video streams on other satellite paths and on the Internet. -- And -- although we wouldn't want to give credit to an old and unfashionable medium -- via shortwave radio.

BBC News, 3 Oct 2012: "Viewers of BBC Persian television in Iran reported that authorities began jamming the channel's signals on two satellites after the London-based Persian-language channel reported the Tehran protests."

Update: Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 4 Oct 2012: "Iranian jamming of U.S. government-sponsored news and information programs disrupted broadcasts from Morocco to Eastern Europe to Indonesia, the Broadcasting Board of Governors has found. Satellite operator Eutelsat confirmed that the intermittent jamming was coming from inside Iran. ... One of the BBG’s Internet anti-censorship vendors is reporting that traffic from Iran using its software and servers has increased substantially since the jamming began. This suggests that Iranian listeners and viewers are shifting to the Internet to receive news and information."

Eutelsat press release, 4 Oct 2012: "Eutelsat Communications today made a new appeal to international regulatory authorities to urgently intervene in order to put an end to repeated jamming of satellite signals from Iran. This new appeal follows significant deliberate interference from Iran since October 3 of international networks, including BBC Persian, the Voice of America’s Persian service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda, that broadcast via Eutelsat satellites. The practice of deliberate interference with broadcast signals is a violation of rules of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Today’s complaint by Eutelsat officially asks the ANFR, France’s national frequency agency, to renew its objection to jamming to the ITU so that it can be addressed as a priority. This new condemnation and call for action to regulatory authorities follows appeals made by Eutelsat since May 2009 to put an end to unacceptable deliberate jamming of broadcast signals from Iran."

Board Condemns Jamming of Broadcasts to Iran

October 3, 2012

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Washington, DC – October 3, 2012 – U.S. international broadcasting signals to Iran are once again being jammed, possibly in connection with street demonstrations and arrests there, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors has condemned the resumption of interference in its programming for Iranians.
“The jamming of news delivered by satellite into Iran is an outrage, a deplorable violation of well-established international agreements,” said International Broadcasting Bureau Director Richard M. Lobo. “Freedom of information is a universal human right as well as an essential component for the health of any nation.”
The practice of deliberate interference with broadcast signals, known as “jamming,” is prohibited under rules of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
The most recent interference began on Wednesday, October 3, and affected both video and audio signals of the Voice of America’s Persian Service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda.
The jamming coincided with reports of street demonstrations and mass arrests of Iranians protesting falling currency exchange rates. Both VOA and RFE/RL report that, in some instances, interference starts just before newscasts, and ends just afterwards.
The jamming affected three satellite transponders operated by Eutelsat and those most popular among Iranian viewers: HotBird 13B, Eutelsat 25A and Eutelsat 7A. Viewers said the signals reappear intermittently, and that less-popular satellites are not impacted.
The interference has affected other U.S. international broadcasting programs on the Eutelsat satellites, including Georgian, Armenian and Balkan-language broadcasts.
VOA and RFE/RL programs continue to be broadcast on diverse media platforms, including digital audio and video streams on other satellite paths and on the Internet.
In February 2012, the ITU called upon the world’s nations to take “necessary actions” to stop intentional interference with satellite transmissions. Earlier, the BBG and other international broadcasters called fir action against jamming.