On June 19, at the extraordinary session of the RA National Assembly the draft law on amending the RA Law “On Television and Radio” was adopted in second hearings and finally. The document passed the first hearings on the same day of its adoption.
The amendments to the Broadcast Law were elaborated by the RA Government and provide for a 6-months delay of the termination of analogue broadcasting in the country, i.e. until July 1, 2015 (earlier it was on January 1, 2015). In this respect, the broadcast licenses of regional TV companies, the validity of which expires on January 1, 2015, shall be also prolonged for six months (until July 1, 2015). The broadcast licenses of the radio companies, expiring on July 20,2013, will be valid for another three years, till July 20, 2016.
The Government justified the need for such amendments by “essential technical, material and financial difficulties”, which occurred during the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.