Broadcasting Regulation Council worked out the strategy for covering Moldova with programme broadcast services

The Broadcasting Regulation Council (CCA) worked out, together with the representatives of the civil society, the text of the Strategy on covering the territory of Moldova with programme broadcast services. According to the document proposed for debates, the Strategy aims at supporting the democratic process in Moldova by guaranteeing the universal right of each citizen to receive and disseminate information, including through audiovisual programmes. Among the objectives of the strategy there are identified possibilities for creating 6 national networks of frequencies for radio broadcasting and 5 national networks of frequencies for TV broadcasting; protecting the language and cultural-national patrimony; creating, for all the citizens of Moldova, possibilities to access a minimum diversity standard of informational, education, cultural and amusement programmes; encouraging the development of the domestic market of broadcasting equipment, technologies and services; periodical estimation of the advertisement market of Moldova with a view to establishing fair and equal activity and competition rules for all broadcasters; gradual implementation of digital television and radio system etc. The documents presents several conclusions related to the situation of the broadcasting market of Moldova. According to them, this field is developing to the detriment of information, and the irregular distribution of frequencies led to an obvious discrepancy between the information received by the citizens from villages and cities or towns. The document is available of the webpage of the Council www.cca.md and on the webpage of Soros-Moldova Foundation which offered logistic support in drawing up the document, www.soros.md. The Council invites all the media institutions and interested organisations to participate in the debates regarding the project, and to present amendments and commentaries until Monday, April 2, when the document will be debated at a public conference. Subsequently, the Strategy will be approved at a meeting of the Broadcasting Regulation Council. As of January 1, 2007, 245 broadcasters held licenses in Moldova, of which 44 in the field of radio air broadcasting, 38 – TV air broadcasting, 152 –TV cable broadcasters, 10 – in MMDS system, and 1 in the field of wire broadcasting. According to the survey “Use of information and communication technologies by the population of Moldova”, conducted by the United Nations Development Programme, 97.1% of the population receives TV programmes, and the home antenna continues to be the main method of receiving programmes, this fact being confirmed by 45.4% of the households. TV cable connection is used by 31.4% of the households. Other methods of receiving TV channels - room antenna and satellite antenna – are used less, respectively 12.9% and 7.3%. 2.9% of the households do not have a TV set, the share of which is higher in villages.