Campaign against illegal IP TV: Welcomed the broadcast journalists

The Broadcast Journalists Center (BJC), a body of broadcast journalists, has welcomed the ongoing nationwide crackdown against illegal IPTV and harassment YouTube channels.

Earlier, the country's television channel owners' organization 'ATCO', the top organization of journalists Bangladesh Federal Journalists Union-BFUJ, Dhaka Journalists Union-DUJ, Chattogram Journalists Union-CUJ congratulated the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and related authorities for the campaign.

In a statement signed by BJC Chairman Rezwanul Haque and Member Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, they said, 'BJC has been demanding for a long time to take action against illegal IPTV-YouTube channels engaged in extortion blackmailing and public harassment in the name of journalism. As the government has started an operation in this regard, BJC is thanking the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the relevant authorities for this and calling for the continuation of this program.

It is to be noted that according to the instructions given by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in a letter to all Deputy Commissioners on June 18, the District Magistrates are conducting a nationwide campaign against IP TV, YouTube channels and illegal cable networks that are illegal and violate the online media policy.

As part of the operation, the mobile court in Rangpur on Monday, July 3, after Eid, fined Prime Cable Network Tk. 50,000 for the offense of using an expired license.

On the eve of Eid, on June 28, two companies were fined Tk. 50,000 for the offense of disrupting the clean feed or ad-free broadcast of foreign channels and Tk. 70,000 for the offense of trading with an expired license respectively in East Jaflong, Sylhet. Earlier on June 25 in Chattogram, the mobile court of the district administration sealed the offices of four unauthorized IPTVs namely C-Plus TV, C-Vision, 24 TV and SBTV in Chattogram.