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On 30 October 1998 the Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Communicazioni (the Independent Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Media) issued the new national frequency plan. The plan identifies 17 national networks, 11 of which are reserved for national television and 6 for local television. These 17 networks cover 80 % of the national territory and 92 % of the population, transmitting from a total of 487 sites across the country (fewer compared to the actual 600). The inspiring principle is to rationalise the location of the sites: the plan calls for the building of a number of new sites,...

On 22 July 1998, after a co-operation agreement with the Italian Ministry for Communication was finalised and its internal regulations and code of ethics issued ( see Gazz. Uff. no. 169 of 22 July 1998), the Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM) became fully operational. Established under the Law of 31 July 1997, no. 249, the AGCOM (see IRIS 1997-8:10) is the independent Italian regulatory authority responsible for the telecommunications, radio, television, and publishing sectors. It is headed by a President, appointed by the President of the Council of Ministers, and is organised...

On 9 August 1998, the Italian Ministry for Communications adopted a bill indicating the events which must be broadcast free of charge. The bill, intended to implement Art. 3 bis of the amended version of the "Television without Frontiers" Directive (Directive 89/552/EEC, as amended by Directive 97/36/EEC) contains two different lists. The first list indicates the events that have to be transmitted live on air and free of charge. This list includes the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, all the matches played by the Italian national football team, the finals of the World and European Football Cups,...

In IRIS 1998-5: 15, we gave notice of a Government Bill, introduced into Parliament, intended to abrogate the provisions of the law No 161 of 21 April 1962 (Articles 6, 8 and 9), which still permit to subject the distribution of films in cinemas to the prior consent of a Government Commission. Furthermore, the Commission is charged with the decision of whether a film may be offered to children up to 14 or 18 years old. The text of the draft Bill is now available with its introductory report. According to the Government, the relevant provisions of the law No 161 are based on an interpretation of...

A replacement for the September 1967 film co-production agreement was signed on 5 May, although it does not come into effect until after an exchange of notifications between the two countries. This will take place in around three to four months, after the necessary legislative processes have taken place. Currently, there are seven such agreements between the United Kingdom and Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway and New Zealand; the United Kingdom has also signed the Convention on Cinematographic Co-production. Amongst the principal differences from the earlier agreement are that (a) third...