The BBC and the four other international broadcasters issued a statement after a rise in 'deliberate interference'
A group of international broadcasters, including the BBC, have issued a joint statement condemning "an increase in deliberate interference" of their broadcast signals this year in a number of different countries.
In the statement issued by the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France, Radio Netherlands Worldwide and Voice of America, broadcast chiefs called on regulators to take action against those responsible and on "national telecommunications authorities to take up the issue".
"We have seen an escalation this year in the number of pressure tactics that have been used on the media being accessed by audiences in Iran and other countries," the broadcasters said.
"We call upon the regulatory authorities to take action against those who deliberately cause interference to satellite signals on the grounds that this is contrary to international conventions for the use of satellites.
"We specifically ask national telecommunications authorities to take up the issue at an upcoming meeting of the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva.
"We also call upon satellite operators and service providers to recognise the importance of the role they play in ensuring the free flow of information."
In the statement, the broadcasters refer in particular to a rise in the "jamming" of Persian programming, adding that it appears the "interference originates from Iran".
In February this year, following its reporting of the Egyptian protests, the BBC issued a statement to say satellites used to broadcast the Persian television signal into Iran were being "jammed".
At the time the BBC's director of global news Peter Horrocks called for an "immediate" stop to the interference, but seven months later, in September, the broadcaster revealed that it was now experiencing jamming of two satellites "for the first time".
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
