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A report commissioned by the UK Government on future financing of the BBC has made a number of important recommendations. It was made by an independent panel headed by Gavyn Davies, an influential economist. The recommendations are not binding on the Government but are likely to be extremely important in shaping future Government policy. The bulk of BBC funding has come in the form of the annual licence fee payable by all users of television sets; however, this has not kept pace with broadcasting inflation and provides only limited funds for the development of new services. The most controversial...

The three Acts are the result of government bills brought before Parliament in February and June (see IRIS 1999-7: 14). By speeding up its proceedings, Parliament was able to pass the new legislation before the summer recess and before the National Assembly elections due to be held on 3 October 1999. All three Acts are based on European Community law: the Datenschutzgesetz (the Data Protection Act) transposes the Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC); the Fernabsatz-Gesetz (the Distance Marketing Act) is designed to transpose the Distance Marketing Directive (97/7/EC), Directive 97/55/EC on incorporating...

At the end of March, the President of Poland used his right of veto to reject the proposed amendment to the Broadcasting Law of 29 December 1992. The version of the Bill prepared by the Senate made provision first of all for a total ban on commercial breaks during film broadcasts. After this suggestion had been debated in the Parliament ( Sejm), the provision was modified so that only documentaries, children's programmes and discussion programmes would be affected by the advertising ban. In addition, the Finance Minister was to be empowered to dismiss members of the public radio and television...

The Spanish Parliament has finally approved an Act incorporating the revised "Television Without Frontiers" Directive into Spanish Law. This Act amends Law 25/1994, which implemented the original "Television Without Frontiers" Directive. The new Act introduces some important amendments: - According to the new Art. 2 of Law 25/1994, the provisions of this law shall apply to terrestrial, satellite and cable TV, and to all public and private broadcasters. Until now, Law 25/1994 did not apply to thematic channels distributed via satellite, and only a few of its provisions applied to the programmes...

On 24 June 1999 Advocate General Jacobs delivered his Opinion with regard to case C-6/98, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Rundfunksanstalten (ARD) v PRO Sieben Media AG (see IRIS 1998-3: 6 for the underlying dispute). The dispute concerns the interruption by advertisements of films shown on television, more precisely the method by which, under the «Television Without Frontiers» Directive, the permissible number of such interruptions is to be calculated, and arises from the wording of Article 11(3) of the Directive. According to this provision, the permissible number of interruptions is to be calculated...