CAIRO: The Egyptian satellite company Nilesat refuted allegations by the Libyan authorities that it is intentionally scrambling Libyan channels on the satellite. The company said a statement issued Thursday that Nilesat, along with other European and Arab satellites, have been subjected to continuous external interference ever since the events in Libya started. This interference in the broadcast resulted in the scrambling of many channels including Al Jazeera and other channels broadcast from Lebanon, as well as the Egyptian El-Masrya and Channel 1. The company stressed that there were no problems with the broadcast of any of the Libyan channels on Nilesat, except for one which has the same frequency as the Egyptian satellite channel, adding that there is no way the company would intentionally scramble the Egyptian state-run channel. Moreover, “it is against company policy to scramble Egyptian channels,” as this is a violation of international laws. Nilesat said it is working to overcome these technical difficulties. During anti-government demonstrations in Egypt that eventually toppled the president, the Egyptian authorities scrambled the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera. Despite calls from Al Jazeera Network, Egyptian authorities continued to interfere with the channel's signal. In a press statement, the global satellite network reported that their live channel Al Jazeera Mubasher was removed from the Nilesat platform altogether, after it was moved repeatedly to different frequencies. The network's bureau in Cairo had its telephone landlines disconnected, and its main Arabic news channel also faced signal interference. "We call upon the Egyptian authorities to uphold the right of the media to report news freely. There should be no impediments or restrictions in front of a free press,” Ayman Jaballah, the managing director of Al Jazeera Mubasher, said at the time.
