Espreso, Priamy, and Channel 5 were not shut off from the air, but replugged to Rada channel – the SSCS's response to the petition
The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection reported that Espresso, Priamy, and Channel 5 were not shut off from the digital airwaves, but replugged to Rada channel.
This is stated in the SSCS's response to the petition demanding the return Espresso, Priamy, and Channel 5 to the digital air. On August 15, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal forwarded the issues raised in the petition to the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, Detector Media reports.
Citing the Broadcasting, Radiocommunications and Television Concern, the service's head Yuriy Shchyhol stressed that on April 3 and 4, the BRT Concern's technical services, in compliance with the National Security Council's decision, replugged (performed re-commutation) the digital and satellite broadcasting of Espresso, Priamy, and Channel 5 to Rada channel.
As the department emphasizes, this does not change anything for the marathon: "After such a switch, access to the informational telethon United News #UARazom was and is still available to all TV channels of any form of ownership."
In addition, representatives of the State Special Communications Service believe that Espresso, Priamy, and Channel 5 have the technical capability to speak on the digital air and join the nationwide telethon on equal footing with other broadcasters. "Whether or not they participate in it is up to the management bodies of these TV channels," summarizes the SSCS.
Espreso representatives have already responded to the service's answer, calling it "casuistry" and "making excuses."
"We were genuinely surprised by the stance of the state body which allows itself to spread false information so openly. Disconnecting Espresso's signal is now called 'providing technical broadcasting capabilities within the framework of the telethon,'" the channel's press office said in a comment.
Espresso representatives came to the conclusion that "the authorities are doing everything they can to confuse the society and the broadcasters with regards to the real reasons for the arbitrary shutdown."
As IMI reported, on April 18, citizen Iryna Handziuk registered a petition demanding to protect freedom of speech and renew the digital broadcasting of Espreso, Priamy, and Channel 5, on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal forwarded the issues raised in the petition to the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.
On May 9, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine explained that the reason for shutting off the digital broadcasting of Espreso, Priamy, and Channel 5 was an implementation of the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine regarding the broadcast of a joint telethon.
On April 4, Espreso, Priamy, and Channel 5 announced that on April 4 in the morning the Broadcasting, Radiocommunications, and Television Concern (BRTC) had shut down the broadcasting of these TV channels in T2 digital network.
Digital television provider Zeonbud, which is currently subject to the governmental BRT Concern, is not aware of the reasons for Espreso, Priamy, and Channel 5 being shut down.
The adviser to the head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podolyak believes that the channels from the so-called Petro Poroshenko's pool (Channel 5, Priamyy, and "Espreso") were excluded from digital air because they were harmful due to the ex-president's "narcissism."
Channel 5 and Priamyy filed a lawsuit against the Broadcasting, Radiocommunications and Television Concern (BRTC) and the State Special Communications Service for being excluded from digital broadcasting.
In July, Priamy and Channel 5 called on the Council of National Security and Defense and the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting to allocate the time slot in the joint telethon "United News" which will be vacant if the participation of "Ukraina" media group is terminated to them.
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