The Commission on Television and Radio will implement one programme with two measures in 2024. The allocation of the measure Regulation of the audiovisual media sector will be 361 million drams, and about 7 million drams will be allocated to the implementation of the Technical saturation improvement measure.
“This year we completed our technical equipment. Now, with our technical equipment, we correspond to some extent to the technical equipment of the regulatory bodies operating in Europe”, the Chairman of the Commission Tigran Hakobyan said presenting the budget allocations and implemented programmes for the coming year at the joint sitting of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport and on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs.
According to him, the workload of the Commission has increased over the last 5 years: The number of licensing tenders has increased several times, the number of monitored audiovisual programme providers has increased by about 50%, the administrative proceedings and court proceedings – about 10 times.
The Chairman of the Commission referred to the issue of increasing the fund for foreign business trips, noting that although they submitted an application of 8 million drams, it was decided to provide 7 million drams. He informed that the Commission became a member of the REFRAM organization in recent years, was elected a member of the Association of Mediterranean Regulatory Bodies.
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The rapporteur also spoke about the expected result indicators, stating that in the case of the Commission, it is almost impossible to predict the possibility of implementing a number of indicators. “It turns out that we always have more functions than planned,” he said.
In response to the question of the Chair of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Sisak Gabrielyan regarding the programmes broadcast on Russian TV channels, Tigran Hakobyan informed that the Commission fulfilled its powers both with the legislative and according to the Armenian-Russian Interstate Agreement. The Commission monitors these channels for at least 5 days a month and, in case of violations, prepares a report and sends it to the Ministry of High-Tech Industry. In the last two months, two such reports have been sent to the Ministry. In relation to the issue of the CNN broadcasting in the public multiplex, the Chairman of the Commission on Television and Radio explained that under the previous law, local organizations received a license to rebroadcast a foreign TV company, but the law that came into effect in 2020 does not provide such an opportunity.
The Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Taguhi Ghazaryan touched upon the complaints about the creation of unequal conditions for political forces by the Public Television Company during the campaign and the recording of violations by the regulatory body. Tigran Hakobyan informed that a detailed answer was sent to the complaining party, no violation of the Electoral Code, the methodology developed by the Commission, the law on Audiovisual Media was recorded.
A number of practical problems, including legislative ones, were raised. In this context, the Executive Director of the Public TV Company Hovhannes Movsisyan and Tigran Hakobyan singled out the issue of simultaneous translation among the problems, which is especially difficult to provide by regional TV companies, as there is a need for specialists.
The Chairman of the Board of the Public Television and Radio Company Ara Shirinyan informed that it is planned to implement one programme with seven measures.
The Chief Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office Zareh Sinanyan also detailed the sectoral allocations, presented programme indicators, and spoke about the importance of measures aimed at attracting the potential of the Diaspora. In 2024, 887 million 55 thousand drams will be allocated to the office of the Chief Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs. 577 million 54 thousand drams will be allocated under the Armenia-Diaspora cooperation programme, and 300 million drams will be allocated under the Involvement of Diaspora potential in RA development processes programme.
The rapporteurs also answered the questions of interest to the deputies.
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia