Armenian president signs into law revamped bill on audiovisual media
06.08.2020,
10:30
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian signed on August 5 into law a revamped bill on audiovisual media, adopted by the National Assembly in the second and final reading on July 16.
YEREVAN, August 6. /ARKA/. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian signed on August 5 into law a revamped bill on audiovisual media, adopted by the National Assembly in the second and final reading on July 16.
This law replaces the previous one on television and radio, which experts said was outdated and did not correspond to modern realities. The new law defines the status of distributors of audiovisual media services, audiovisual information, regulates the licensing procedure and so on.
In particular, the new law provides for the exclusion of foreign broadcasters, including Russian ones, from the public multiplex of Armenia. According to the law, foreign channels will only be able to be distributed without a license on a public multiplex on the basis of an interstate agreement between Armenia and another country.
The Russian First Channel, RTR Planeta, Russia, Culture and the Mir interstate TV channel are currently broadcasting in Armenia.
According to the presidential press service, the bill was submitted for signature to Armen Sarkissian on July 20, 2020. Before the signing, the presidential staff had carefully studied it and discussed with representatives of the authorized bodies, MPs and other interested persons.
"The law on audiovisual media is aimed at ensuring the right of everyone to receive reliable information, guaranteeing the right to express one's opinion, independence of providers of audiovisual media services, and the development of a variety of audiovisual programs," the president's staff said in a statement.
According to the conclusion of the office of the President of Armenia, the law does not have problem of compliance with constitutionality.
Meanwhile, Armenian journalistic organizations expressed deep concern over the law. In a statement they said it does not provide for an effective licensing procedure for tenders for terrestrial broadcasting in the public multiplex, for realistic mechanisms for creating private multiplexes, does not solve the problems of about 10 non-digitized regional TV companies, and does not create opportunities for reforming public broadcasters. --0--
This law replaces the previous one on television and radio, which experts said was outdated and did not correspond to modern realities. The new law defines the status of distributors of audiovisual media services, audiovisual information, regulates the licensing procedure and so on.
In particular, the new law provides for the exclusion of foreign broadcasters, including Russian ones, from the public multiplex of Armenia. According to the law, foreign channels will only be able to be distributed without a license on a public multiplex on the basis of an interstate agreement between Armenia and another country.
The Russian First Channel, RTR Planeta, Russia, Culture and the Mir interstate TV channel are currently broadcasting in Armenia.
According to the presidential press service, the bill was submitted for signature to Armen Sarkissian on July 20, 2020. Before the signing, the presidential staff had carefully studied it and discussed with representatives of the authorized bodies, MPs and other interested persons.
"The law on audiovisual media is aimed at ensuring the right of everyone to receive reliable information, guaranteeing the right to express one's opinion, independence of providers of audiovisual media services, and the development of a variety of audiovisual programs," the president's staff said in a statement.
According to the conclusion of the office of the President of Armenia, the law does not have problem of compliance with constitutionality.
Meanwhile, Armenian journalistic organizations expressed deep concern over the law. In a statement they said it does not provide for an effective licensing procedure for tenders for terrestrial broadcasting in the public multiplex, for realistic mechanisms for creating private multiplexes, does not solve the problems of about 10 non-digitized regional TV companies, and does not create opportunities for reforming public broadcasters. --0--
