RapidTVNews reports that old draft guidelines created by Arab ministers to force Middle East broadcasters to obtain formal transmission licences will be replaced with a new charter. The problem is that there is little coordination between Arab governments on TV transmission.

This means satellite operators themselves judge any dispute as to content or fair and accurate broadcasting. Last February a joint ministerial communiqué backed the Satellite Broadcast Charter, drawn up by a committee of experts in order to provide a framework for national licensing. However, at last week’s meeting some ministers declined to endorse the charter, in particular Qatar (home to Al Jazeera) and the UAE (now home to dozens of TV channels including MBC’s Al Arabia 24-hour news channel). The charter was drafted by Egyptian and Saudi Arabian interests, although it took as its benchmark the broadcasting regulatory guidelines used in the UK, Europe and elsewhere.

With this lack of agreement the meeting last week decided to abandon the original February charter and instead set up a “high commission for Arab media” that will reflect a new agreement that all can abide by.

Read more.