PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

media audiences. What is important, however, is that such channels should be
accessible to the widest population. Expanding the potential audience for the
parliamentary channel has been a concern for a number of our respondents,
and has been facilitated by the rapid development of digital broadcasting, as
this report from the French Assemblée Nationale indicates:
The parliamentary debates are broadcast, generally live, on the
Parliamentary Network, which includes two stations, each dedicated to
a chamber of the parliament. So far this network, which also broadcasts
interviews, studio debates and other educational programmes,
has been available only on cable or satellite television, or via an ADSL
connection. On 31 March 2005, the launch of terrestrial digital television
in France will make it possible to extend significantly the reach of
this network, which will be among the 14 channels available for free in
digital services.
Extracts from a report submitted by the Mexican Senate indicate the typical
range and ambition of a dedicated parliamentary channel:
With the intention of complying with its informational objective
of supplying Mexican society with information about the activities that
take place in the Legislative Power, Congress formally created on
28 August 2000 the Congress Television Channel of the Mexican
Republic……The programming has integrated legislative activities
of both Chambers that make up the Mexican Congress, such as:
■ Joint Sessions of the Chambers
■ Task force meetings of the legislative Commissions
■ Programmes expressing opinions and with legislative participation
■ Interviews with government officials
■ Informative notes and data
■ Night news, and
A parliament that is open and transparent I 55
■ Programmes with cultural and educational information, produced
by means of collaboration agreements with different institutions……
The Congress Channel covers the whole of Mexico as it is transmitted
through a cable system in the complete country, which reaches a potential
10 million television viewers; and also by subscription to Channel
144 in the SKY system and to Channel 220 through Direct TV reaching