Freedom of press international organization Article 19, an active member of the São Paulo State Conference Commission, has called on the Brazilian government to engage fully and cooperatively to ensure that the conference is successful in promoting a wide-ranging and productive debate about the future of communications policy in Brazil.
National conferences are official forums created by presidential decree to promote meaningful dialogue among government, civil society and the business sectors, with a view to providing substantive input into official planning and policy-making.
The Conference on Communication, earlier threatened by budget cuts and issues of representation, has been long demanded by groups calling for urgent review of the seriously outdated law and policy currently applicable in this area.
The Conference will have 1,539 delegates, divided among the private sector (40%), civil society (40%) and government (20%). The approval of sensitive issues, an earlier deadlock, will require the endorsement of 60% of participants, including at least one vote from each sector.
The level of private sector representation has been controversial, as civil society groups believe it is over-represented considering the greater plurality of social movements.
Discussions on communications are taking place all over Brazil currently, including through informal preparatory meetings at the municipal, inter-municipal and state levels.
One preparatory seminar in São Paulo titled "From the communications we have to the communications we want" brought together over 270 people to discuss such topics as broadcasting licensing, women and the media, and the situation of community radios.
Access to Information
The Special Commission that will process Brazil's new Access to Information Bill has now been officially appointed. The new Commission is expected to review and revise the various versions of the Bill, and Members of Parliament are committed to approve a final version of the law by the end of this year.
The Commission, whose membership includes a president and rapporteur, was finalized and comprises of 18 congressmen from different political parties. The Commission's task is to review both the draft bills recently presented to Congress by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and also the proposal dating from 2003, which was originally presented by congressman Reginaldo Lopes, and is already pending before the Lower House.
The Commission's President, José Genoíno, affirmed that both President Lula and the President of the Lower House of Congress, Michel Temer, have expressed an interest in seeing the final law adopted by the end of this year.
Genoino told Article 19: "The Commission plans to work in a deeply democratic and radically transparent fashion". Lopes avowed that the Commission, "needs to listen to the organized civil society and to learn about experiences in other countries."