The Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information discussed Legislative Regulation of Several Aspects of Media Activity
27 October 2010, 12:37
The Committee is going to initiate parliamentary
scrutiny of the bill "On reforming State-Owned and Municipal Media" (Reg. No.
6468), submitted by People´s Deputy Stepan Kurpil.
Andrii Shevchenko, Committee Chairman, suggested holding the committee hearings on the privatization of printed media in November 2010 to discuss the bills of Stepan Kurpil and the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Committee members debated the bill on amendments to several legislative acts on the regulation of relations in the sector of television and telecommunications (Reg. No. 6527), submitted by People´s Deputy V.Landik. The author of the bill admitted that relations between the cable operators and the terrestrial television and radio broadcasting organizations remained complicated, which affected the consumers of services rendered by the cable operators. V.Landik believes that the cable operators shall provide access of the maximum number of their subscribers in the most accessible frequency content to the programs of the television and radio broadcasting organizations providing on-air and satellite broadcasting in the territory of multiplex operation under the licenses of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.
The People´s Deputies also discussed the bill on amendments to the Law "On Television and Radio Broadcasting" (re Licenses for Broadcasting) (Reg. No. 6596). The bill amends clauses 30, 33, 35, 37 and 72 of the applicable law to specify the grounds for license denial, prolongation of license validity, re-issue or cancellation of the broadcasting licenses, and the penalties for violation of the legislation on television and radio broadcasting.
The Committee members scrutinized the bill on amendments to Clause 14 of the Law "On Television and Radio Broadcasting" (re Legal Principles of Activity of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Organizations) (Reg. No. 7036). The bill harmonizes this Law with the Constitution of Ukraine, excluding the provision that statutory documents of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Company of Ukraine shall be ratified by a special law.
The People´s Deputies discussed the amendments to the Law "On Advertising" (re Identification of Social Advertising, and Regulation of Advertising of Political Parties and Non-Governmental Organizations) (Reg. No.3002), and the bill on amendments to the Law "On Advertising" (re Ban on the Use of Sports Symbols in the Advertisements of Tobacco Goods, Alcoholic and Low Alcoholic Beverages) (Reg. No. 6445).