Austria

[AT] Broadcasting Laws Amended

IRIS 2000-9:1/9

Albrecht Haller

IFPI Austria

An important amendment has been made to both the Kabel- und Satelliten-Rundfunkgesetz (Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Act), which governs private broadcasters, and the Rundfunkgesetz (Broadcasting Act), which covers the Österreichischer Rundfunk (Austrian public service broadcaster - ORF). Provisions concerning events of major importance for society have been added to both Acts, bringing them fully into line with the revised EC "Television Without Frontiers" Directive. Most changes necessitated by the Directive had already been introduced in 1999. The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Act has also been adapted in the areas of freedom of establishment, advertising/teleshopping and the protection of minors. The Parliament has also passed a Bundesgesetz über die Anwendung von Normen von Fernsehsignalen (Federal Act purpose of this Act is to promote the development of television services suitable for wide screen format (16:9) and high-resolution television, as well as services that use fully-digital broadcasting systems. It is designed to transpose into domestic law Directive 95/47/EC on the use of standards for the transmission of television signals.

In order to put other broadcasters on an equal footing with the ORF, the maximum length of radio advertising in both the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Act and the Regionalradiogesetz (Regional Radio Act), which covers private local and regional radio broadcasters, has been increased from 120 to 172 minutes per day. Provision has also been made in the Regional Radio Act for broadcasters whose licence is revoked by the Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Administrative Court) or Verfassungsgerichtshof (Constitutional Court) (see IRIS 2000-8: 4).

Finally, the Parliament has also passed a Bundesgesetz über den Schutz zugangskontrollierter Dienste (Federal Act on the Protection of Conditional Access Services - ZuKG) in order to incorporate into domestic law Directive 98/84/EC on the legal protection of services based on, or consisting of, conditional access (see IRIS 2000-4: 11).

All of these amendments entered into force on 12 July 2000. To complete the picture, it should be noted that the Government has also tabled a Bill to introduce a Federal Act on the Exercise of Exclusive Television Broadcasting Rights and amend both the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Act and the Broadcasting Act (see IRIS 2000-5: 5).


References

  • Bundesgesetz, mit dem das Kabel- und Satelliten-Rundfunkgesetz und das Rundfunkgesetz geändert werden, Bundesgesetzblatt 2000 I 49 vom 11. Juli 2000
  • Federal Act amending the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Act and the Broadcasting Act, Federal Gazette, 2000 I 49, 11 July 2000

  • Bundesgesetz über die Anwendung von Normen von Fernsehsignalen (FS-G), Bundesgesetzblatt 2000 I 50 vom 11. Juli 2000
  • Federal Act on the Use of Standards for Television Signals, Federal Gazette 2000 I 50, 11 July 2000

  • Bundesgesetz, mit dem das Regionalradiogesetz geändert wird, Bundesgesetzblatt 2000 I 51 vom 11. Juli 2000.
  • Federal Act amending the Regional Radio Act, Federal Gazette 2000 I 51, 11 July 2000

  • Bundesgesetz über den Schutz zugangskontrollierter Dienste (Zugangskontrollgesetz ZuKG), Bundesgesetzblatt 2000 I 60 vom 11. Juli 2000
  • Federal Act on the Protection of Conditional Access Services, Federal Gazette 2000 I 60, 11 July 2000

  • Regierungsvorlage betreffend Bundesgesetz, mit dem ein Bundesgesetz über die Ausübung exklusiver Fernsehübertragungsrechte erlassen wird und das Kabel- und Satelliten-Rundfunkgesetz sowie das Rundfunkgesetz geändert werden
  • Government Bill on a Federal Act to pass a Federal Act on the Exercise of Exclusive Television Broadcasting Rights and amend both the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Act and the Broadcasting Act

This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.