The article, initially, considers a brief discussion of the main shifts in information and communications field, the introduction of Direct Broadcasting Satellites (DBS), and the concept of media policies in world today, with an emphasis on countries of Asia. A critical overview of policies of the Iranian government against public reception of TV programs accessible via DBS follows. The analysis policies currently adopted by thirteen Asian countries indicates that many of them have considered re-broadcasting of "appropriate" content in order to compensate for the domestic production shortcomings, and to attract audience for "controlled" services. Nevertheless, there exists a wide variation in terms of volume, type of content, language used, the extent and manner of content control application (censorship), number and type of ownership, management mode of the organization, and the distribution procedure for countries within the region.
The question of satellite TV reception in Iran is not yet resolved, and it is criticized by the political figures, by the professionals and by the public. Now, after more than a decade since the prohibition policy of 1994 came into being, the public has uncontrolled access to hundreds of satellite TV channels. This has drastically reduced the applicability of the Prohibition Act, competitiveness of the national media, and effectiveness of the state intervention for policy design and execution. A survey on policies of the Asian countries shows that the utilization of the existing satellite programs is not incompatible with maintaining the cultural and political sensitivities. In other words, it is possible to use the satellite TV and maintain politico-cultural integrity.