UANI Applauds Canada's Telesat for Stopping the Broadcast of Iranian Regime Programming

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2012
Contact: Nathan Carleton, press@uani.com
Phone: (212) 554-3296   

UANI Applauds Canada's Telesat for Stopping the Broadcast of Iranian Regime Programming

New York, NY - On Thursday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) applauded the Canadian global satellite operator, Telesat, for ending its broadcasting of Iranian regime programming.

In an October 30, 2012 letter to Telesat, UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, called on Telesat "to end all business activities in Iran and specifically cease the broadcast of all Iranian regime transmissions via the Telstar 12 satellite, including that of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), and their affiliates."

In subsequent discussions with UANI, Telesat pledged that it would refrain from "any direct business relationships with the Government of Iran or entities owned or controlled by that government."

Specifically, Telesat informed UANI that it recently severed its relationship with a customer that "resold capacity on Telesat's Telstar 12 satellite (capacity it had contracted from Telesat) to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting ... [and] terminate[d] IRIB's transmissions to Telstar 12."

Added Telesat: "The IRIB, we learned, was transmitting to Telstar 12 in order to make its broadcast signal available to a teleport facility located in Pennsylvania, where the signal was then retransmitted to an Intelsat satellite for broadcast distribution across the United States."

Telesat informed UANI that it has disclosed the situation to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Said Ambassador Wallace:

We applaud Telesat for stopping the broadcast of Iranian regime programming. Any entity committed to free speech must end its ties with the Iranian regime, particularly given the regime's libelous programming that regularly includes hate speech against religious minorities, forced confessions of peaceful dissidents and civil society activists, and show trials of political prisoners.

We thank Telesat for its response on this important issue, and its commitment to refraining from future business with the Government of Iran or entities owned or controlled by that government. We call on all media entities worldwide to stop broadcasting IRIB programming and other regime propaganda.

UANI recently applauded British telecommunications company Arqiva and European satellite provider Eutelsat for ceasing their broadcasting of regime programming. As part of its "Tech and Telecom Campaign," UANI has succeeded in curtailing the business of international telecom giants such as Adaptive Mobile, Huawei, and Nokia Siemens Networks.

Click here to view UANI's letter to Telesat.

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