Article: Media Bill

Argentina’s Lower House Approves Media Bill, Sends to Senate By Eliana Raszewski Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Argentina’s lower house of Congress approved President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s bill to overhaul laws covering media and broadcasting. The measure was approved early today in a 146-3 vote in the 257-member house. Opposition lawmakers left the chamber before the vote and said the legislation, which still has to be approved by the Senate, would be reviewed in December when deputies who were elected in June take their seats and the ruling coalition loses control in Congress. Fernandez’s proposal would replace media rules approved in 1980 during a military dictatorship. It has come under criticism from some opposition lawmakers, including Adrian Perez, a member of the Civic Coalition, who said that the government seeks to “control” the press. “It’s a violation to the main principle in a democracy, which is the freedom of speech,” Perez told reporters last night after leaving the chamber. The bill would divide the broadcast spectrum among commercial users, government and non-profit groups. Fernandez said the changes would democratize the airwaves by easing access for universities, churches, and labor unions and by breaking a monopoly. In a bid to gain support for the bill, Fernandez on Sept. 14 asked lawmakers to eliminate a clause that would have allowed telephone companies to sell television service. Members of the ruling coalition rejected a request by opposition parties last week to organize hearings throughout the country, saying that the opposition wanted to delay approval of the bill until the new Congress takes over. To contact the reporter on this story: Eliana Raszewski in Buenos Aires at eraszewski@bloomberg.net Last Updated: September 17, 2009 11:35 EDT Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=a2WW4q5yNFTQ Find words in the article that mean the following to change a system or method in order to improve it a large room in a public building used for important meetings the ____ group in a country or organization is the group that controls it (formal) to try to achieve or get something making something, especially a process, happen more easily an attempt to achieve or obtain something turned down a meeting of a court or special committee to find out the facts about a case to take control of something Now use the words in the sentences below The order resulted from an appeal _____________ at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. It was a desperate __________ for power Do you think the president will ____________ reelection? All the community’s decision-making institutions need to be _______________. The _____________ party is confident of winning the election. The council __________ is on the third floor. His only reason for investing in the company was to __________ it _______. The agreement will ____________ the way for other countries to join the EU Sarah ___________ her brother's offer of help.