Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ টেলিযোগাযোগ নিয়ন্ত্রণ কমিশন) is an independent commission founded under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act, 2001 (Act # 18 of 2001). The BTRC is responsible for regulating all matters related to telecommunications (wire, cellular, satellite and cable) of Bangladesh.
The BTRC started operating from 31 January 2002 with a vision of facilitating affordable telecommunication services and increasing the teledensity to at least 10 telephones per 100 inhabitants by 2010.
Gag orders on Bloggers March 2013[]
In March 2013, BTRC was criticised by the Human Rights Watch[1] and other groups for banning a number of "atheist blogger" websites.[2] Blogs banned by the BTRC included the award-winning popular blog[3] by Asif Mohiuddin, who had been attacked by a machete wielding group in January.[4]
Mohiuddin was arrested the following month,[5] along with three other bloggers .[6]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Bangladesh: Crackdown on Bloggers, Editors Escalates". Human Rights Watch. 15 April 2013.
- ^ Arafatul Islam (25 March 2013). "Bangladesh gags award-winning blogger". Deutsche-Welle.
- ^ Asif Mohiuddin. "God, Almighty only in name but impotent in reality (transl)". somewhereinblog.net. present blog page reads: "blog has been withdrawn or cancelled for violating terms and conditions" (transl.)
- ^ "4 held over attempt to kill blogger". The Daily Star. 2 April 2013.
- ^ "Blogger Asif Mohiuddin arrested over "blasphemous" blog posts". Reporters Without Borders. 3 April 2013. quote: "We call for Mohiuddin’s immediate and unconditional release," Reporters Without Borders said.
- ^ Emran Hossain (4 March 2013). "Bangladesh Arrests 'Atheist Bloggers,' Cracking Down on Critics". The Huffington Post.
External links[]
- Government agencies of Bangladesh
- Telecommunications in Bangladesh
- Telecommunications regulatory authorities
- Regulators of Bangladesh