The news that the Cabinet Committee on Revision of the Cable Television Network Policy has adopted a draft policy to bring the sector under closer oversight is both welcome and worrisome. It is welcome in that a coherent policy governing the broadcast and distribution of satellite television channels is long overdue, and it is high time that the confusion was replaced by a clear and consistent set of principles and guidelines.

The caveat, of course, is that one hopes that the policy will not be used to curb intellectual freedom or to suppress points of view that the government considers politically unpalatable. Nor would we want to see a policy put in place that operates as cover for political patronage, freezing out those who are not in the good graces of the administration while bestowing favours upon those who are.

Few would argue with the proposition however, that respect for freedom of expression should not grant one unlimited license to broadcast obscenity and violence and other kinds of things that are harmful to the individual and society. In our opinion, it is thus appropriate for the government to take measures to ensure that offensive programming does not reach our homes, keeping in mind the sensibilities of the majority of the people of the country who are culturally somewhat conservative.

That said, we hope that the government will not put in place a policy to exclude programming that is neither obscene nor offensive, but which is merely new and different. In today's world we must be open to ideas and entertainment from outside our borders and acknowledge that we are also enriched by such exposure. There is nothing to be gained and much to be lost from shutting ourselves off in our own little cocoon.

As in most cases, the important thing is how restrictively the policy is framed. We must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath-water. There is no doubt that a policy that is open to debate and adhered to is needed, but it is equally important that the policy be reasonably free and forward-looking. An overly stringent policy is worse than none at all.