On Thursday, April 12, Mexican federal Congress members approved a series of changes to the current Federal Law of Radio and Television that would allow for indigenous communities to request permits to operate radio stations, according to the organization Cencos and the newspaper La Jornada.
However, the Mexican Association of Access to Information (AMEDI in Spanish) said that this new law would only benefit national TV networks, said the magazine Proceso.
The new law contradicts the electoral law of 2008, which forces both of the national TV stations, Televisa and TV Azteca, to block national advertising and include local candidate or government announcements, according to the news site CNNExpansión.
“It is using the indigenous communities to favor national television," said Aleida Calleja, president of AMEDI, to CNNExpansión.
The modifications to the Federal Law of Radio and Television still require the senate's vote, and AMEDI issued a statement, urging senators to reject the changes to the law.
