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“The project is aimed at increasing the number of TV channels in digital format received free of charge. The transition process to digital terrestrial television will end on January 1, 2022, which involves the cessation of analog terrestrial television,” Andrei Spinu, Executive Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, mentioned at the meeting.
According to him, the project also provides for the possibility for private TV channels to receive state subventions for broadcasting socially important programs on educational, cultural, and scientific topics. “Besides, several TV channels will get an opportunity to broadcast their programs via the Multiplex A, with the national coverage (circa 97% of the territory and population), after reducing the tariff for broadcasting services offered to the provider by this Multiplex,” Andrei Spinu specified.
He adds that the Government has recently purchased devices for receiving the digital signal, which have been allocated to socially vulnerable families, and that this practice will continue in the years to come.
STATE AID FOR PROVIDERS AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
The authors of the project claim that, due to the state aid, channels with educational, cultural, scientific, children’s programs, etc., which are socially important, could broadcast via the Multiplex. For this sake, the document stipulates including such new notions as “thematic broadcasting media service provider of public interest,” “thematic broadcasting media service of public interest,” and “regional coverage multiplex.” The draft stipulates vesting the Broadcasting Council (BC) with the powers to grant state aid to private channels, including the local ones, within the limits of the financial resources allocated from the state budget for this purpose, based on the Regulation approved by the Competition Council.
According to the information note to the draft law, the document was also prepared to further ensure the population’s free and open access to the digital signal of the TV programs of Teleradio-Moldova and Gagauziya Radio Televizionu companies, as well as other broadcasting media service providers interested in free broadcasting. “Implementing this draft law will ensure successful completion of the transition to digital terrestrial television, which will increase the number of TV channels received free of charge, intensify competition in the paid TV market, and free the frequency spectrum required for the implementation of the 5th generation (5G) technologies, possibly collecting about 30 million Euros from license fees to the state budget,” the document stipulates.
According to the authors’ estimates, to ensure the viability of the national multiplex A supplier after broadcasting in the analog format ceases, about 14 million lei (approximately 700.000 Euros) have to be allocated annually, for three years. “This step will provide attractive tariffs for TV channels interested in broadcasting via the multiplex, thus increasing the number of channels using it to 18, which could be received for free throughout the Republic of Moldova, reducing the ‘digital exclusion’ of disadvantaged and countryside population,” the document explains.
The authors also claim that, if the Multiplex A subsidies to the provider in order to offer attractive tariffs are not applied, only 4 TV channels (Moldova 1, Moldova 2, GRT, and TVR Moldova) will be broadcast via the multiplex, “because no private channels can financially afford paying the tariff at the real cost, and for the state budget, the additional costs will be the same 14 million lei per year (because the cost of the multiplex broadcasting will not be shared among the interested private channels).”
TV5 MONDE FRENCH CHANNEL CAN LEGALLY REACH THE MULTIPLEX A
Another modification in the draft law will allow the Broadcasting Council to consider that a media service provider is under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Moldova if the right of the TV channel to provide these services in the territory of the country is stipulated by an international treaty the state adheres to. “Currently, the Broadcasting Council refuses to issue a broadcasting license that would allow TV5 Monde to be broadcast via the national digital terrestrial television multiplex, based on the national regulatory framework provisions, which, in their opinion, do not provide for this possibility. Consequently, after the analogue terrestrial television ceases, this channel will not be able to go on broadcasting (already in the digital format) unless the existing regulatory framework is modified accordingly,” the project explains.
The Republic of Moldova planned to switch to digital terrestrial television, yet the deadline was postponed several times. Chiril Lucinschi, ex-chairman of the parliamentary committee for the media, mentioned at that time that the digital multiplex system was obsolete and developing satellite television or optical (Internet) cable networks would be more advantageous.
