Argentine president sends media reform to Congress

Argentina's president sent a media reform bill to Congress on Thursday, saying it would strengthen democracy by reducing the control of a handful of companies that dominate broadcasting. Many people in the industry agree with the need to overhaul broadcasting regulations drawn up during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship, to reflect huge technological changes, but the government proposal has sparked controversy. President Cristina Fernandez, who has fallen out with the country's biggest media group Grupo Clarin and often criticizes news media, said the new broadcast law would challenge private companies' domination of the airwaves. "Freedom of expression can't become freedom to extort (and) press freedom can't be confused with freedom for press owners," she said in a speech. The reform bill, which Fernandez launched in March, would allocate a third of broadcast frequencies to private companies, a third to state broadcasters and the rest to nonprofit organizations such as churches and universities. It would also limit the number of licenses any one company can hold and aim to guarantee quotas for Argentine-made music, films and programs. Leftist groups have welcomed the government proposal, but critics say the reform is ill-timed and politically motivated.