Colombia. As part of the measures adopted by the National Government to support the sectors most affected by the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the executive issued Decree 658 of May 13, 2020, which provides concrete actions for telecommunications agents that provide broadcast and community services.
The rule postpones, until 2021, the payment periods of the consideration they must make to the Single Fund for Information and Communications Technologies, FUTIC, operators of broadcast open television services, community sound broadcasting and public interest, and non-profit community television.
In this way, conditions are generated so that these media, which have been affected by the decrease in economic activity, continue to operate and protect the employment they generate in all regions of the country.
The rule, which was announced by the Minister of ICT, Karen Abudinen, during the presidential space Prevention and Action, takes into account the difficult situation that these media are going through and the need to provide relief to allow them to continue informing all the inhabitants of the national territory, especially in the most remote regions, where they play a fundamental role.
"With this measure, we will protect jobs and, in general, the actors in the sector that have great difficulties in maintaining their operations due to the economic conditions that the emergency has caused them. In this way, we will be able to continue bringing communication to all regions of the country, particularly to those most remote where these media have the greatest presence; this is the Ministry of Equity and Opportunity," the head of the ministry said.
Additionally, the regulation enables the financing of credit lines, promotion and strengthening of providers of telecommunications networks and services, until the state of Health Emergency declared by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection remains in force, so that, with resources from the Single ICT Fund, special lines can be generated to support these means.
