A/HRC/14/23 democracy and the ability of all sectors of society to exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression. 70. The Special Rapporteur would like to highlight the joint work undertaken with the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) through a series of regional consultations held for the purpose of identifying and endorsing the principles that should underlie a democratic regulatory framework for community radio and television. Information on these principles is included in the annex. These principles are: (a) Media diversity, content and perspectives; (b) Recognition and promotion; (c) Definition and characteristics; (d) Objectives and aims; (e) Technological access; (f) Universal access; (g) Reserved frequencies; (h) Competent authorities; (i) Licence and frequency allocation procedures; (j) Non-discriminatory conditions; (k) Evaluation criteria; (l) Financing; (m) Public funding; (n) Digital inclusion. 71. It is important for Governments to promote measures and adopt good practices oriented toward equity in telecommunications. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur welcomes the promulgation by Argentina of the Audio-visual Materials Distribution Act, which is a good example of such practices. C. Permissible restrictions and limitations on freedom of expression 72. Although the right to freedom of expression is important for democracy and the exercise of other rights, as highlighted in section A, this right is not absolute. International law, and most national constitutions, recognize that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities and may be restricted in certain exceptional circumstances. The right to freedom of opinion, on the other hand, is a right to which the Covenant permits no exception or restriction, as stated, inter alia, in general comment No. 10 of the Human Rights Committee. 73. In accordance with resolution 7/36 of the Human Rights Council, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur includes reporting on instances in which the abuse of the right of freedom of expression constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination, as well as formulating recommendations and making suggestions concerning methods of promoting and protecting the right to freedom of opinion and expression in all its forms. Accordingly, as a contribution to the consideration of this issue, in this report the Special Rapporteur proposes a series of principles that will help to determine what constitutes a legitimate restriction or limitation on the right of freedom of opinion and expression and what constitutes an “abuse” of that right. 12 GE.10-13049