HAKOM: Does Italy comply with the agreement, significant reduction of interference on Croatian TV channels in April

The Italian Ministry of Economic Development has called on broadcasters to voluntarily relinquish radio and television frequencies that cause interference to Croatian broadcasters, for which it has secured €50.8 million, reported the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Activities (HAKOM) on Wednesday, where they expect the frequency release process to last about five months.

“The Ministry of Economic Development of the Italian Republic (MISE), after several delays, has finally issued a regulation that has initiated a public call for Italian television content broadcasters to participate in the process of voluntarily relinquishing radio and television frequencies that cause interference to TV signals of neighboring countries from November 2 to December 1, 2015. To implement this decision, the relevant Italian ministry has secured funds amounting to €50.8 million, as well as alternative frequency channels for broadcasters who wish to continue broadcasting,” HAKOM stated in a press release.

This regulation, they emphasize, is the result of long-standing efforts by HAKOM to eliminate the problem of Italian interference that has been occurring on Croatian television and radio channels for many years within international institutions.

Thus, as stated, HAKOM has initiated a dispute resolution mechanism regarding interference within the Radio Regulatory Board (RRB) of the International Telecommunication Union, and with Croatia’s accession to the European Union, it has launched an initiative and actively engaged in resolving interference issues between Italy and neighboring countries through the Working Group on Cross-Border Coordination within the Advisory Group on Radio Frequency Spectrum Management Policy of the European Commission.

“The result of the activities of the Republic of Croatia and HAKOM experts in international activities are three regulations with legal force issued by Italy. The regulations have amended the TV frequency plan by excluding frequencies that interfere with neighboring countries, established a compensation fund, and secured funds for shutting down interfering transmitters amounting to €50.8 million, as well as prescribed the procedure for shutting down,” HAKOM emphasizes.

They add that the regulation issued by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development pertains to the procedure and deadline for applying for the allocation of compensation funds, based on regulation number 129, published on June 6 of this year, which relates to the shutdown of transmitters of local and regional TV networks that cause interference in Croatia and other neighboring countries.

According to the timeline, the process of releasing frequencies is expected to last about five months. Within that period, the acceptance of applications from broadcasters will last for one month, after which 15 to 30 days will be needed for analysis and publication of the results of applications for compensation payments with deadlines for shutdowns conducted by MISE, and it is anticipated that it will take about three more months to turn off the transmitters for which compensation is provided, HAKOM explains.

“If the Italian side adheres to the deadlines agreed upon at the meetings of the cross-border coordination working group, it can be expected that co-channel interference in the TV band will be significantly reduced in April 2016,” they estimate at HAKOM.

The entire process is the result of cooperation between Croatian institutions and broadcasters, as well as systematic activities undertaken by HAKOM in recent years within international institutions regarding the issue of Italian interference. HAKOM has continuously collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, the Agency for Electronic Media, Transmitters and Connections, and affected Croatian broadcasters, the statement concludes.