[MT] Proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Act on satellite broadcasting

Abstract

A bill to amend the Broadcasting Act has been published in the Malta Government Gazette of Friday, 6 February 2009. The object of the Bill is to amend the Broadcasting Act to enable the Broadcasting Authority to license broadcasting content on satellite radio and television services. As the situation stands to date, the licensing of satellite radio and television broadcasting content has always been entrusted to the Government of Malta and, in particular, to the minister responsible for communications. This Bill proposes to entrust this function to the independent broadcasting regulator. In fact, in practice, the Ministry has always delegated the processing and issuing of such licences to the Broadcasting Authority. The Bill would officially divest the Government of the regulation of broadcasting content and assign the task to the Broadcasting Authority. [excerpt]