KUALA LUMPUR: The public is prohibited from using parabolic satellite dishes to receive transmission from foreign television stations because their content may have a negative impact on Malaysian viewers, the Dewan Rakyat was told yesterday.
Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum said parabolic dishes were only allowed in rural areas which cannot be reached by fixed line services.
“Parabolic dishes are widely used in remote areas for broadband and data services through the Very Small Aparture Terminal (VSAT),” he said in response to a question from Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) on the use of parabolic dishes which has been outlawed by the government.
He said these dishes were also allowed for distance learning and corporate purposes depending on the situation.
Meanwhile, Salang also refuted Abdul Ghafur’s allegation in a supplementary question that the ban on parabolic dishes was the government’s way of protecting the interests of pay television service provider Astro.
“This restriction is in no way to protect Astro, as these regulations have existed even before the emergence of Astro,” he said.
To a question from Datuk Idris Haron (BN-Tangga Batu) who asked about the level of data and information security for users of BlackBerry smartphones, Salang said users of such phones, including civil servants, need to practise caution and limit their usage to communication of material that was not classified as sensitive or government secrets.
He said although data storage and transfer was monitored closely by its manufacturer, Research In Motion (RIM), and cannot be easily accessed by other parties, users need to emphasise on safety when communicating.
“BlackBerry users need to beware as each communications system has their weakness and total secrecy cannot be guaranteed,” he added. — Bernama