Spain

[ES] Cable Telecommunications Bill

IRIS 1995-10:1/15

Dolors Fenollosa

Bufete Mullerat y Roca

The Cable Telecommunications Bill lays down the legal framework for cable or cable network supplied telecommunications, defining this service as the provision or the exchange of information in the form of images, sound, text, graphics or any combination of these, and supplied to the public at their homes or in other places by means of cable networks.

The catchment areas for this service will be defined by zones that will include at least 20,000 inhabitants and a maximum of 1,500,000. The zones will be set out by the relevant municipal council and government of the Autonomous Community.

The management of the cable telecommunications service will be granted to the single highest bidder for each zone, in addition to "Telefonica de Espana". Only those companies whose stated purpose and aim is to provide cable telecommunications services and which are domiciled in Spain, are eligible to become cable operators. Licences are awarded for an initial fifteen-year period, renewable for successive 15-year periods. The licencee may supply its cable telecommunications service within its zone, install the necessary equipment, and produce its programmes, either by itself, or through a third party. It may also gather subscriptions and use the network either for other telecommunications services, or to carry services offered by a third party. Law 31/1987 of 18 December 1987 on the development of telecommunications will apply to all activities not covered by the new law.