Digital broadcasts, law provides bigger cost

31/01/2012 00:00

In a few days, all interested groups that are directly affected by the
draft-law for the audio-visual media will be summoned in a round table
with the Commission of Media and Education.

“All subjects that have been licensed by the regulatory authority; the public operator of the Public Radio and Television; the Authority of Post and Electronic Communication; representatives from non-profit organization, which are related with the media; non-profit organizations that operate directly and non-profit organizations that are related with the disabilities, and that have a great sensibility for the media, will be invited to the meeting”, declared the Chairman of the Commission, Valentina Leskaj.

The draft that is being discussed at the Commission is different from that of some months ago. OSCE and the interest groups opposed the first variant that was prepared by the government, what made the law to be postponed and amended.

The two rapporteurs of this law, Alfred Dalipi and Mark Marku, have mentioned the main changes of this draft-law, which directly affect the consumers.

“The first novelty is that some commercial operators, who have established their services and have invested in the area, will be damaged in the future due to the limitation of the frequencies. Most important is that the consumer will have a financial cost, because the technology and the deadlines set by the European Union will affect the public and the consumer, by changing the method how the signal is taken. The TV appliance will have a cost for any Albanian, after a deadline set by the law”, Dalipi declared.

Marku added that there is a change of the ownership formula, in the sense that all businesses are allowed to operate private businesses, while National TV operators are obliged to not have more than 20% or 40% of the shares in another national media.

Alfred Dalipi declared that the transitory period, after the law will pass, will be up to five years. During this time, the consumers must have in their residences the appropriate appliances for the new signal.

This change will have a cost for the consumer, and in many countries, the technological change has been financially afforded by the state. On the other hand, the draft law said that all operators that don’t have technical capacities should be licensed.

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