The Communication and Digital Law Commission (CCDD) of the Federal Senate approved this Wednesday (13) a bill that allows Brazilian Communication Company (EBC)which operates the public radio and television channels of the Federal Executive Branch, distributes audiovisual content over the internet, including services streamingsuch as video platforms, with the aim of making national films available in online catalogues. 
Authored by Senator Paulo Paim (PT-RS), with a favorable report from Senator Hamilton Mourão (Republicanos-RS), with no changes to the text, the project goes on for analysis by the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), which will have the final say . If approved in the Senate, the matter will still need to be processed in the Chamber of Deputies.
The proposal changes the so-called law of EBCwhich established the company and established the principles and objectives of public broadcasting services operated by the Executive Branch. In the new wording, one of the objectives of the EBC It becomes precisely the task of promoting partnerships and encouraging national audiovisual production, guaranteeing exhibition spaces, especially for regional and independent productions, also via the internet.
“I would like to thank the senators for supporting the work of public communication, which is independent of the means of dissemination. Historically, we are present in broadcasting and now is the time to have our space guaranteed in streaming”, celebrated the CEO of EBCJean Lima.
In justifying the project, Paim highlights the role played by internet video platforms in the population’s consumption habits, and the need to ensure that national, regional and independent production has guaranteed exhibition space for its promotion, as determined by the project itself. Federal Constitution.
“With the advancement of technology, streaming platforms and services have been assuming the role that, until then, was reserved for television broadcasters. However, this is a mechanism on which neither producers, distributors, nor institutions responsible for complying with the provisions of article 221 of the Constitution, which provides, among the principles of broadcasting, the ‘promotion of national and regional culture and encouragement of independent production aimed at its dissemination’, has effective capacity to ensure the distribution of national content” , he argues. “In this context, there is nothing more natural than the State orienting its policies and means to ensure the same principle for the distribution of Brazilian audiovisual content, notably those financed with public resources from the Audiovisual Law and the Culture Incentive Law, via the internet”, adds.
To give more momentum to the initiative, the bill includes public channels among the beneficiaries of 10% of the resources under the Contribution for the Development of the National Film Industry modality charged to telecommunications companies (Condecine Teles). This fee is currently intended only for community channels, universities and independent Brazilian programmers.
Created in 2008, the EBC was born to fulfill a precise constitutional function: to establish a communication network that would operate across all media (radio, television and internet) in a complementary manner to the private and state systems, serving solely the interests of society. The company’s mission is to bring knowledge, information and culture to the population of all ages, in all locations in the country, without political or commercial interference.
The public company currently has eight vehicles, including TV Brasil, National Radio, Amazon National Radio, MEC Radio, Brazil Agency and National Radio Agencyall nationally recognized and awarded as sources of reliable information and quality educational content, as well as authors of relevant and inclusive cultural productions.
*With information from Agência Senado
