Slovakia

[SK] Law on the Digitisation of Broadcasting Transmissions

IRIS 2006-7:1/35

Jana Markechová

Markechova Law Offices

In the new electoral period the Slovak government plans to pass a bill to establish a zákon o digitalizácii vysielania (Law on the Digitisation of Broadcasting Transmissions). The law is to enter into force on 1 January 2007. The bill incorporates the following principles:

- Regulation of the rights and duties of natural and legal persons with respect to digital broadcasting and other services related to digital transmission;

- Guarantee of a smooth transition from the analogue to the digital transmission route in connection with international obligations that are legally binding upon the Slovak Republic;

- Establishment of a stable environment necessary for the implementation of digital transmission and a guarantee of the conditions for unhindered provision of content services via digital transmission;

- Enablement of a complete suspension of analogue broadcasting of television programmes in the year 2012.

The digitisation of radio broadcasting is planned in the DAB-T system, but no suspension of analogue transmission in the FM frequency range is expected.

Due to the particular geographic features of the Slovak Republic and the availability of frequencies in coordinated ranges, the introduction of digital terrestrial broadcasting is to be based on a system of frequency assignment via public tenders. The law assumes the principle of building up digital coverage via the procedure of calling for tenders (1 frequency per tender), with the possibility of granting multiplex operators several frequencies.

Broadcasters are granted licences by the Rada pre vysielanie a retransmisiu (Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission, of the Slovak media regulatory authorities). A licence entitles a broadcaster to compete for a position in the multiplex. The licence will no longer be tied to the frequency. The Council grants only two types of digital terrestrial licences, namely national and regional.