Austria

[AT] New Funding System for Broadcasting Regulators

IRIS 2005-6:1/11

Robert Rittler

Gassauer-Fleissner Attorneys at Law, Vienna

The legal basis for the funding of the broadcasting regulator KommAustria and its partner RTR-GmbH was rescinded by the Constitutional Court at the end of 2004 (see IRIS 2005-2:6). As a result, the legislature decided in April 2005 to introduce a new funding system by amending the KommAustria-Gesetz (KommAustria Act). Each year, the Federal Government will now contribute EUR 2,000,000 to the regulator's telecommunications operations and EUR 750,000 to its broadcasting-related activities. The latter sum will be financed through income from the licence fee, an existing tax on the use of radio and TV receivers. The contributions to be paid by companies in the industry will be limited to EUR 6,000,000 for telecommunications companies and EUR 2,250,000 for broadcasters. Broadcasters with particularly low turnovers will not have to pay anything. Expenditure on RTR-GmbH will in future be capped at 10% of total annual outgoings. The amendment was backdated to 1 January 2005.