Changes on G19 - Iran and Myanmar

[Martyn]

It looks like all the Iranian channels are down.

I presume this has something to do with the revised round of Iranian sanctions that the US imposed on Monday. I'm seeing a black screen on Press TV, IRINN, Al Alam and IRIB2.

And Myanmar TV seems to have gone. The transponder has been relabeled "Thai TV Shopping," which is the channel that previously filled the rest of the time when MMTV wasn't on the air.

 

[northgeorgia]

Thanks for the heads up...

 

[DJdish]

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[TD="class: news_title"]Iran satellite TV channels taken off air[/TD]
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[TD="class: news_desc"]Some Western satellite companies have taken a number of Iranian channels off the air in an attempt to step up their campaign against the Iranian media.[/TD]
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On Monday, satellite companies Hotbird 13-B, Eutelsat 25-C, Eutelsat 21-B, Eutelsat 8-West-A, Intelsat 20, Galaxy 19, and Optus D-2 pulled the plug on the Islamic Republic of Iran's English news channel Press TV.

Iran's Spanish-language channel Hispan TV was removed from satellites Eutelsat 8-West-A, Eutelsat 7-West-A, and Intelsat 21.

Eutelsat 8-West-A also removed Arabic news channel al-Alam.

Iran's general entertainment television network iFilm -- which broadcasts in both English and Arabic --was also taken off the air by Eutelsat 21-B, Eutelsat 25-C, Hotbird 13-B, Eutelsat 7-West-A, Intelsat 20, and Optus D-2.

Broadcasting of another Iranian channel, called al-Kawthar, was stopped by Eutelsat 8-West-A, Eutelsat 7-West-A, and Galaxy 19.

On Sunday, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) called on the United States and Intelsat to suspend their decision on taking Iranian channels off the air.

Jose Manuel Do Rosario Toscano, the director general of ITSO, which oversees Intelsat's global services, asked both Intelsat and the US to hold talks with Iran on the issue.

On June 19, Intelsat told Iran's national broadcasting corporation, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), that it will no longer provide services to Iranian channels, including Press TV, as of July 1 because of the US sanctions.

Press TV and other Iranian satellite channels have come under a wave of attacks by European governments and satellite companies since January 2012, and have been taken off the air in several Western countries, including Britain, France, Germany and Spain.

NT/AS
Source: Press TV
http://www.ghatreh.org/view/61054/Iran-satellite-TV-channels-taken-off-air
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[DJdish]

Also more info on this thread:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/314291-Is-Press-TV-gone

 

[Xizer]

Starting to get awfully tired of a country that supposedly believes in freedom of speech censoring media left and right...

 

[Martyn]

You'll be pleased to know, you're not the only one. The ITSO, which oversees Intelsat, is convening a meeting to consider a complaint by Iran.

Here's the news release:


The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) has been informed by the Islamic Republic of Iran of its belief that certain measures undertaken by the United States have had the effect of banning the provision of any satellite broadcasting services to Iran by Intelsat, thereby constituting violations of applicable international regulations and of the United States' treaty obligations under the ITSO Agreement. Specifically, Iran has claimed that Intelsat's discontinuance of service to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) as of 30 June 2013 is contrary to the Core Principles contained in Article III of the ITSO Agreement and to the Rights and Obligations of the Parties under Article XI (c) of the ITSO Agreement. Iran has requested that ITSO take proper measures to ensure that Intelsat continues to provide international telecommunications services consistent with the requirements of the ITSO Agreement and to prevent the U.S. Government from failing to honor its obligations and commitments under the ITSO Agreement.

Intelsat's discontinuance of service to IRIB is the result of provisions contained in the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA), which was signed into law by President Obama on 2 January 2013. Specifically, the NDAA identified the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as having contributed to the infringement of individuals' human rights by broadcasting forced television confession and show trials, and also referenced sanctions imposed by the European Council on the President of IRIB for similar actions. As a result of these findings, the United States has imposed various sanctions on IRIB and its President, including
their placement on a list of specifically designated nationals maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury. While the U.S. Treasury Department had issued a license to Intelsat allowing Intelsat to continue providing services to IRIB through 30 June 2013, Intelsat was advised that the license would not be extended beyond that date.

Since the enactment of the NDAA, ITSO has closely monitored the situation and in fact contacted the United States about its possible implications. ITSO has subsequently been advised by the United States that it does not believe that any actions on its part are contrary to its obligations under the ITSO Agreement. The United States has stated that the ban did not apply to any particular country, such as Iran, but rather applied only to an individual company, IRIB, and on that basis, there had been no violation of the ITSO Agreement.

In response to a request from Iran to convene a meeting as soon as possible with the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States as Parties to ITSO, and Intelsat, to discuss the matter, ITSO has taken steps to convene such a meeting on 11 July 2013 to discuss the matter further.

Should the efforts undertaken by the Director General to seek a settlement of this dispute prove unsuccessful, the Parties can avail themselves of the specific procedures for the settlement of disputes set forth in Article XVI (Settlement of Disputes) of the ITSO Agreement and Annex A (Provisions on Procedures Relating to Settlement of Disputes). Additionally, under certain circumstances, an extraordinary Assembly of Parties may be convened under Article IX (e) of the ITSO Agreement to consider this dispute.