The amendments to the Broadcasting Code aimed at ensuring the legal framework needed for implementing digital terrestrial television were the subject of public debates held within the parliamentary commission on culture, education, research, youth, sport and mass media on June 22, IPN reports.

Deputy ICT Minister Dumitru Parfentiev said the bill to amend the Broadcasting Code is technical in character. The transition from analog terrestrial television to digital terrestrial television with the aim of the respecting the international commitments undertaken by Moldova implies the amendment of the exiting legal framework on broadcasting, owing to the essential technical differences between the analog terrestrial television and the digital terrestrial one. In digital format, several audiovisual programs can be broadcast on the band of one TV channel, while in the case of analog television – only one program.

According to Dumitru Parfentiev, if the given amendments are adopted, the Broadcasting Coordination Council will be able to issue broadcast licenses for using digital terrestrial multiplexes. The new regulations will pave the way for implementing analog terrestrial television in parallel with the analog one and no financial or other kinds of costs will be incurred because the procedure for issuing licenses will be similar, except for small exceptions applying to analog television.

Ion Bunduchi, executive director of the Electronic Press Association, said the bill should not be regarded only as a technical one because digitization is not only a technical process. The major goal of this bill is to provide the people with more information channels. The bill should also stipulate what program services the first multiplex will include so that the people are provided with a diversity of programs.

The representatives of civil society formulated a number of objections about the notions contained in the bill and the period of validity of licenses set in it.