Russian Federation

[RU] Licensing Rules Adopted by Government

IRIS 2012-2:1/35

Andrei Richter

Comenius University (Bratislava)

On 8 December 2011 the Government of the Russian Federation adopted an ordinance that approved new rules on licensing television and radio broadcasting. This follows the entering into force on 10 November 2011 of the Statute “On amending some legal acts of the Russian Federation in order to improve legal regulation in the sphere of mass information” (see IRIS 2011-7/42),

The rules set down that the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Mass Communications remains the licensing body. This Service, under the Ministry of Communications and Mass Communications, is part of the Government.

A necessary condition of issuing a license to an applicant is the establisment of an editorial board with its statute and registration carried out in accordance with the Statute “On the Mass Media”. In case of rebroadcasting there should be a contract with an editorial board of the TV or radio channel, established in accordance with this statute. Under the realm of broadcasting Russian law now understands any form or platform of dissemination of TV and radio channels as a conglomerate of programmes formed in accordance with the relevant listings.

Violation of the programme policy, a blueprint document in which the applicant should conceptualise and describe the range of programmes it proposes to offer, is considered to be a gross violation of licensing rules.

The rules confirm that licensing may be based on a tender, competition or auction but do not provide details as to how that will be determined.