Reuters: Regulatory News: Transparency complaints over Italy TV regulator

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Transparency complaints over Italy TV regulator Jun 6th 2012, 19:12 ROME, June 6 | Wed Jun 6, 2012 3:12pm EDT ROME, June 6 (Reuters) - Italy's main political blocs voted along party lines on Wednesday to name members of telecoms and media regulator Agcom, prompting bitter complaints from campaigners who had pressed to open up the secretive appointments process. A watchdog body with no legislative powers, Agcom has a big say over the highly politicized television industry, long dominated by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, as well as the growing Internet and telecoms sectors. It has a particularly sensitive role in regulating the broadcasting industry, the main source of news for most Italians and a sector long dominated by state broadcaster RAI and Berlusconi's Mediaset empire. Despite a parliamentary revolt last month by a mixed group of deputies who demanded an open debate over the candidates, Wednesday's vote saw the center-left PD and Berlusconi's center-right PDL party push through their nominees. "With Agcom, the big point of concern is its independence and that's something that is particularly important just now because of the issue of electoral advertising," said Guido Scorza, head of a group called the Open Media Coalition which was formed to press for a more open appointments process. The PD nominated telecommunications professor Maurizio Decina, while the PDL named Antonio Martusciello, a former executive of Berlusconi's Publitalia advertising unit and current member of Agcom, and Antonio Preto, a longtime European Commission official. The centrist UDC party nominated parliamentary official Francesco Posteraro. Beppe Grillo, the maverick comedian whose rebel Five Star Movement has shaken up Italian politics since its triumphant showing in last month's local elections, said the nominations showed the traditional party system was as strong as ever. "Agcom is a waste of public money, a cover for the control of the media by the parties. A way to take us for a ride. It has to be closed down," he wrote Wednesday on his widely read blog. The appointment of the four new commission members for seven-year terms had attracted wide interest among Internet campaigners and Open Media Coalition said it would appeal against the nominations. The commission members are appointed by parliament with the president nominated by the prime minister but campaigners said the decision to impose a party vote without debate made the process invalid. "This was an election in which the winners were known before the vote took place. It was a bit of a farce really," said Guido Scorza, head of the group. He said his group would ask President Giorgio Napolitano not to approve the nominations and would also launch court action to try to reverse it. In addition to the complaints about political transparency, lies the issue of oversight of a sector combining television, the Internet and mobile communications, which together account for about 6 percent of Italy's gross domestic product. Critics of Agcom have long complained that it tended to favour incumbents like state broadcaster RAI and Mediaset, Italy's biggest private broadcaster and that it is not prepared to handle the huge changes that have swept the sector. Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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