ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian), Armenia
Sept 10 2008

Armenian parliament passes amendments to media law

Yerevan, 10 September: The Armenian parliament approved amendments to
the law on TV and radio in the third and final reading at its
emergency session today.

Armenian Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan said that Armenia’s
transition to digital broadcasting was important in ensuring the
country’s information security. He pointed out that Armenia has joined
the Geneva convention on international telecommunications, under which
the deadline for the transition to the digital system for the
countries of the European (first) frequency band is 2015. However,
this process will finally end in most European countries in 2010-12.

"Armenia should not lag behind the international tendency, especially
as if our country fails to switch to the digital broadcasting system,
the issue may be raised of stripping our country of the frequencies it
has now. This may cause a number of problems to Armenia’s information
security," Yeritsyan said.

[Passage omitted: Yeritsyan speaking about high quality of the digital
system]

The minister pointed out that in order to ensure a smooth transition
from the analogue system to the digital one, the two systems would be
operating together up to 2010. He said that international experts
would audit the broadcasting field for two years, but a special
interdepartmental commission would draw up a blueprint on the
implementation of the digital broadcasting system and specific actions
in this connection. On the whole, the transition to the digital
broadcasting system may sharply decrease the number of available
frequencies by 2010.

The decrease is explained by the fact that digitalization of
broadcasting will go though a transition period up to 2010, during
which TV and radio companies will be able to broadcast both in the
analogue and digital mode. Thus the number of busy frequencies will
double. "After Armenia finally switches to digital broadcasting, the
number of vacant frequencies will be back to its initial level," the
minister of economy said.

He pointed out that anyone would be able to bid for vacant frequencies
starting in 2010. It has been decided to complete the transition
period by 2010, inasmuch as the term of validity of licences of many
TV and radio companies will end then. Under the Armenian law, a
broadcasting licence is valid for seven years. However, Yeritsyan said
that the draft law does not envisage issuing interim licences in the
period of 2008-10. "The reason for the duration [of the validity of
the licence] being seven years is that an applicant company should not
only have the necessary funds for broadcasting, it also has to be
given time for the funds invested to be recovered. Therefore, the
issuing of short-term licences will not give them the opportunity to
recover their expenditure, and one will not be able to demand that
they broadcast digitally," the minister noted.