– Assignment Guidelines : Problems and Recommendations of Legislaion for New Media and the Malta Broadcasting and Communications Regulation Act.
- Read the Malta’s Broadcasting Authority Regulations act.
- Analyse and form a critical review consisting of the problems within the legislation.
- Search and evaluate other European regulations act and compare and contrast it to the one mentioned above.
- Find academic paper related to the regulations act focusing on new media.
- Construe new recommendations that could be implemented in order to minimise the problematic features of the present legislation.
Information gathered:
350en and http://www.ba-malta.org/legislation#Subsidiary-English. A critical analyses has to be proceeded in order to find problems with regards to new media and the communication regulation act.
- collected information and chose what problems this academic paper is going to focus on ie. Disability, Racism, Family audience all in correlation with new media.
- called the Malta broadcasting authority and asked them if they have any regulations with regards to IPTV. The Malta Broadcasting Authority answered that it is not up to them since it is something online and it was advised to contact the MCA – Malta communications authority. However the MCA advised that as an authority they only regulate the commerce aspect of new media.
– to include in the paper: an email from MCA saying that they do not regulate matters such as racism, disability, and family audience , “Content shared over content transmitted via social media (…) is not regulated by the MCA”
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Brain Storming: IPTV
What is IPTV ?
Is IPTV regulated by the Malta Broadcasting Authority or the Malta Communications Authority?
If yes, are there any problems with the regulations? If no what can be done ?
What is IPTV?- IPTV stand for Internet Protocol Television. In a few words IPTV is a website that provides its clients with television stations and television programs which one can view on demand whenever he/she desires.
After reading the Malta Broadcasting Authority’s legislations, it was concluded that the authority mentioned, does not regulate any IPTV websites that can be accessed by Maltese citizens. To be most certain I contacted the Authority and asked them if there are any legislations that where not published about IPTV, and the spoke’s person for the Malta Broadcasting Authority informed me that; the Malta Broadcasting Authority does not regulate what goes on IPTV website that can be viewed by Maltese citizens. Since IPTV websites are online, the Malta Communications Authority was contacted in order to check if the authority regulates such websites. An email from the MCA was sent and by the content of it was resulted that the MCA does not regulate IPTV websites either.
The Malta Communications Authority also informed that the authority does not regulate what content goes other sources of new media such as social media. The only Regulations that are legislated on the behalf of the MCA are regulations that has to do with the commerce of social media and other websites. Meaning that the regulations only regulate the advertisements that are proceeded on websites.
Advantages:
If someone misses a program, the program can be searched for on an IPTV website and stream it online and watch it whenever. Unlike a normal television station this gives the power to the viewers and do not broadcast a television program only at particular times.
Disadvantages:
The Malta broadcasting authority’s regulations about program timing according to the rating system is not applied when using IPTV. For instance if a program contains vulgar language or nudity due to the regulations by the MBA it can only be aired after 11 pm, with the use of IPTV, anyone can view the same program at anytime he/she desires.
- Becoming a Journalist - 