SUN TV fined for not honoring commitments

The largest provider of cable TV services from Moldova, SUN TV Communications, has been fined 5,400 lei Tuesday by the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) for not honoring its commitment to offer 71 channels in its network in Cahul town. SUN TV started to operate in Cahul on September 1, 2008, but, following a recent checkup, the BCC found that the operator provides but 45 channels of those 71 promised, Info-Prim Neo reports. SUN TV's lawyer Anatol Albin has explained that the company cannot fulfill its commitment because of technical and marketing reasons, but has given no other details. On June 16, 2008, SUN TV was warned by the BCC for similar breeches in Balti. Moreover, SUN TV did not notify the BCC 72 hours before starting broadcasting in Cahul, although the BCC's regulation provides so. BCC member Valeriu Soltan has however insisted that this non-compliance deserves no warning and abstained when the other BCC members voted to sanction SUN TV. Under the Broadcasting Code, the BCC can gradually apply different sanctions: from warning to withdrawal of the license. Then the BCC decided to suspend the satellite broadcasting license of DTV, after it did not broadcast for more than 45 days “because of financial reasons”, argued its director Ion Terguta. Although the BCC could have withdrawn DTV's license, its members suspended it till July 1, 2009, Valeriu Soltan voting against. “It's hard to keep on the market with only a satellite frequency. After three years of talks, SUN TV has never accepted to broadcast by cable,” Ion Terguta said. Under the Broadcasting Code, the Moldovan cable operators are obliged to air the services of the national broadcasters. Namely the lack of Moldovan broadcasters from the channel list of cable operator Truc-3 from Cahul dissatisfied several members of the BCC, so its authorization has not been prolonged. “Where are the Moldovan broadcasters: NIT, Euro TV, 2 Plus?” asked Valeriu Soltan. “You have but ProTV and TV7,” added his colleague Corneliu Mihalache. The Council has rejected a new draft program schedule by radio Ploaia de Argint, on reason it contain too few own programs and programs in the official language. The BCC has issued a license to an entertaining TV station Top One belonging to Studio Center Group, which is to start broadcasting in 10 months, willing to invest 2 million euros. These and other decisions passed by the BCC in its sitting of February 10 will be published in Monitorul Oficial.