The Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) was established by the President of the French Republic on 13 February 1989 and entrusted with the double-pronged mission of guaranteeing and promoting audiovisual communication freedom in France.
The foundation for the Conseil’s actions is the Law of 30 September 1986, amended many times since. The far-reaching responsibilities given to the Conseil under the Law include, monitoring respect of the principles of pluralism and honesty of information; organizing radio and television electoral campaigns; allocating frequencies to the various operators; watching the frequency bands of the spectrum allocated to television and radio; setting rules on broadcasting content; guaranteeing the respect of human dignity; and, protecting children. The Conseil is also in charge of ensuring that the French language and culture are protected and showcased on the air (« défense et illustration de la langue et de la culture françaises »).
The Conseil has two essential further missions: making television accessible to all, in particular, to deaf or hearing-impaired persons; and, making sure audiovisual media reflect the diversity of French society. The media have a responsibility to present an image reflecting the reality of today’s France and to combat discriminations. The Observatoire de la diversité has been established by the Conseil as a dedicated tool to assess policies implemented by television channels in this respect.