CAIRO - A Cairo administrative court Saturday suspended a decision by the Egyptian telecommunications regulator to examine the content of mobile text messages, known as SMS, as another local court upheld taking off air three satellite TV channels.
"The SMS can be sent without the need to be reviewed by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA)," the court said. It added that the companies sending SMS should not take permission from NTRA.
"Reviewing the content of SMS is considered a restriction on freedom of expression. It violates privacy laws and the Constitution," the court added.
NTRA, which regulates telecommunication in Egypt, set new rules last month for companies sending text messages requiring them to obtain licenses, a move activists stress was aimed at quashing efforts to mobilise voters for today's balloting.
According to the NTRA, SMS content suppliers, including political parties and news services, must also get licences, which can cost up to 88,000 dollars (65,670 euros).
Meanwhile, another court upheld a decision by Egypt's State-owned NileSat Company to take off air three satellite TV channels for airing improper content while it obliged the Egyptian firm to re-broadcast four other channels.
"Channels of Al-Khaligia, Al-Nas, Al-Sehal wal Gamal can not be aired again while Al-Rahma, Al-Badr, Al-Hafez and Wesal can be re-broadcast," the court said.
It added that the three suspended channels were inciting sectarianism between Muslims and Christians as well as between Sunna and Shia (two Muslim sects).
Reporters Without Borders, an international group concerned with freedom of expression, condemned the regulations on media in Egypt as restrictive.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Information decided that any media company wanting to do live broadcasting must obtain a permit from an official and pay 5,000 dollars (3,730 euros).
But the ministry did not identify the official, specify how long the permit will be valid, or explain how to renew it.
At the same time, many satellite TV broadcasters have received letters from the ministry ordering them to do all their live broadcasting from studios in 6th of October City, a satellite city 30km southeast of Cairo.
