2011年2月21日月曜日

Libya suspected of jamming Lebanese news channels

Libya suspected of jamming Lebanese news channels
By Patrick Galey
Daily Star staff
Monday, February 21, 2011

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BEIRUT: Lebanese satellite news channels were hit as part of a sustained blocking attack which jammed several regional stations over the weekend, preventing the broadcast of pictures showing unrest and violence in Libya.

Caretaker Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas told The Daily Star that an organized and sophisticated blocking attack had prevented several channels, including NBN, Al-Jadeed and Al-Manar, from being viewed in Lebanon. He blamed officials in Libya for barring regional news channels, including Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television, which was also targeted.

Two network providers – Arabsat and Nilesat – came under what an Al-Jazeera spokesperson called a “sophisticated” blocking attack late Friday, which involved scrambling certain channels’ frequency width.

“The two networks have been subject to a blocking of emissions,” Nahhas said. “On Arabsat it was intermittent and we took measures to overcome the blocking. We reached an agreement with Arabsat to [broadcast channels] in different frequencies.”

Caretaker Information Minister Tarek Mitri accused Libya of violating the right of Arab viewers to access information on region-wide protests.

Hezbollah, which owns Al-Manar, slammed the “flagrant assault” on Lebanese media organizations.

“It’s necessary that officials take measures to protect media corporations and prevent jamming assault to ensure their freedom and independence in doing their job,” the party said in a statement.

The National Audiovisual Council (NAC) accused Libya of attempting to impose a media blackout to prevent the world seeing the atrocities its security forces are accused of perpetrating.


“The recent jamming that the Lebanese satellite channels experienced on Arabsat and Nilesat is considered piracy and a violation of freedom of the media and Arab viewers’ right to knowledge,” an NAC statement said.

“What the Libyan forces did … reveals [Libya’s] official stance in its involvement in the kidnap of Musa al-Sadr and this is more of a testament to their heinous acts and violations of normal values related to human rights, general freedom and dignity,” it added.

Sadr, the influential Shiite cleric, disappeared in Libya following a meeting with Gadhafi in August 1978. Relations between Libya and Lebanon have been frosty ever since his disappearance.

Libyan unrest has left over 100 pro-democracy protestors dead, according to human rights groups.

Bint Jbeil MP Hassan Fadlallah, president of the parliamentary Media and Communications Committee, met with Nahhas and NBN CEO Kassim Soueid to discuss solutions to the jams.

Nahhas said information available to his ministry suggested the blocking activity had come from Libya.

“The source of the blocking has clearly been organized. We understand that [jamming] originated in Libya and we asked Nilesat to remedy the situation,” Nahhas said.

He said his ministry had “strong” suspicions the jamming could have been sanctioned by the Libyan state.

News channels on Arabsat and Nilesat could be subject to blocking until the source of jamming frequencies could be properly identified, he added.


Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=125129#ixzz1EbXVbDpU
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

2011年2月17日木曜日

Deutsche Welle satellite transmissions jammed

Communications | 15.02.2011

Deutsche Welle satellite transmissions jammed

Deutsche Welle has detected an interference in its signals from the Hotbird 8 satellite. The source is unconfirmed, but areas in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including Iran, are affected.

Engineers at Deutsche Welle detected interference of its transmissions coming from the Hotbird 8 satellite beginning Monday at 13:07 UTC.

It is believed the DW transmissions are being "jammed" by foreign signals, though the source of the signals can not be confirmed.

Deutsche Welle last experienced jamming in February 2010, which was believed to have emanated in Iran.

The disturbances are affecting DW-TV Europe, DW-TV Arabia, as well as very high frequency (VHF) and shortwave signals in regions including Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

TV live streaming on Deutsche Welle's multi-language news website is also affected by the disturbances.

To ensure the transfer of Deutsche Welle content, alternate transmission services have been arranged for Internet and satellite broadcasting. Partner stations that rebroadcast DW have been informed.

Author: Birgit Görtz / dfm
Editor: Martin Kuebler

2011年2月12日土曜日

Iran jamming BBC Persian Television

Iran jamming BBC Persian Television

The BBC can confirm that its Persian Television service is being jammed from within Iran following coverage of the political unrest in Egypt.

BBC Persian TV has been working closely with the BBC's Arabic TV service to broadcast extensive rolling news from Egypt including many live crosses, and it is believed that it is the impact of this coverage which has prompted the jamming which began on the evening of Thursday 10 February.

Other programmes that may have caused concern within Iran include a broadcast yesterday where the BBC's Persian and Arabic services joined together for a special interactive show in which Iranian and Egyptian callers exchanged views.

Many Iranian viewers said they were watching events unfold in Cairo and elsewhere in the region extremely closely.

Peter Horrocks, Director BBC Global News, said: "This jamming should stop immediately. The events in Egypt are being viewed by the entire world and it is wrong that our significant Iranian audience is being denied impartial news and information from BBC Persian TV.

"This is a regional story that Persian TV have been covering thoroughly and it is clear from our audience feedback that Iranian people want to know what is happening in Egypt.

"The BBC will not stop covering Egypt and it will continue to broadcast to the Iranian people."

The heavy electronic jamming is of satellites the BBC uses in the Middle East to broadcast the BBC Persian TV signal to Iran. Satellite technicians have traced that interference and have confirmed it is coming from Iran.

BBC Persian television launched in 2009 and has suffered similar deliberate attempts to interfere with its signal intermittently ever since.

BBC Persian TV continues to stream live online.

Notes to Editors

Friday 11 February is the anniversary of the Iranian revolution and this, coupled with opposition leader Karubi being placed under house arrest, has meant protests have been called over the next couple of days.

BBC Persian is the BBC's integrated news and information service for Persian-speakers. It is available on air and on demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is designed to reach audiences on radio, television, the internet – on bbcpersian.com – mobile phones and handheld computers in whatever way best suits the audience.

BBC Persian is one of the oldest of the BBC's non-English language services. Launched on 28 December 1940, it has evolved into the Persian-speaking world's leading international broadcaster, covering the political, social and cultural issues that matter to its diverse audiences in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and across the world.

With its new TV presence, BBC Persian is bringing the world to Persian-speaking audiences – reporting the news wherever it leads.

The latest news from BBC Persian is now available on mobile phones, PDAs and other wireless handheld devices.

PC