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ESTONIA
I. Starman
cable TV company to appeal against cable law.
The cable television company Starman is going to turn to
the chancellor of law with an appeal against the law on
cable television. The company is claiming that some
articles of the law contradict the constitution and the
association agreement signed by Estonia with the European
Union.
The cable
television company’s board chairman Peeter Kern told
BNS on [11th March] that the company was dissatisfied
with an article in the law which prohibits owners of
cable networks to have interest in any local telephone
service provider with a market share of more than 40 per
cent. Sweden’s Telia, which holds 60 per cent
of the shares in Starman, also has a 24.5 per cent
holding in Eesti Telefon (Estonian Telephone Co),
monopoly provider of the fixed-line telephone service in
Estonia.
Under a cable
communications law adopted by parliament on 10th
February, to become effective as of 1st June, Starman
will not be able to apply for a cable TV network licence
and must wind up its activities if Telia finds no buyer
to its stake. Kern said Starman will in any event
apply for a new licence. He didn’t rule out,
however, that the Swedish Telecom might rule to sell its
holding in Starman. “To whom and at what price
is a matter of negotiations,” he said. Telia
representative Mart Nurk told BNS on Thursday that the
company had no plan to immediately sell the shares.
“What steps exactly we will take is open now,”
Nurk said, adding that a decision on the possible sale of
the shares could be made in a month’s time.
BNS news agency,
Tallinn, March 16, 1999
II. Licence
fee needed soon—new national TV director.
As the former national [Lithuanian] TV (LTV) director
Raimundas Sestakauskas resigned last week, the up-to-now
leader of foreign relations direction under National
Radio and Television (NRTV) Romas Jankauskas has been
named as the new chief of national television. When
sitting on [9th March], NRTV council gave approval to
proposal of NRTV director general Arvydas Ilginis to
bless Sestakauskas’ walk-out and taking over of post
by Jankauskas.
Sestakauskas’ resignation came as plenty of LTV
staff members and some persons from NRTV council voiced
discontent with the reforms undertaken by the
director. Meanwhile, his successor stated he was
made an offer just hours before, so he prepared
“none programme speech.” Nonetheless,
when fielding questions of NRTV council, Jankauskas
portrayed the main tasks LTV staff would have to
face. “ The public must be made believe why it
needs a national non-privatized TV, therefore, we have to
introduce a subscriber’s fee [licence fee].
Intensive efforts must be pursued in order to introduce
such fee as soon as possible,” the new TV leader
spoke. At the same time, he expressed belief the
government should be talked into allocating extra money
for NRTV from the government budget reserve. In
1999 budget the portion of NRTV funds is less by
one-fifth than last year. At the moment the debt of
national radio and television amounts to 4m litas (1m
dollars). However, the director designate rejected
sternly the emerging rumours about a possible splitting
of national radio and television.
ETA news agency,
Tallinn, March 12, 1999
III. New TV
head ponders plans for licence fees.
As the former national TV (LTV [Lithuanian TV]) director,
Raimondas Sestakauskas, resigned last week, the up-to-now
leader of foreign relations direction under National
Radio and Television (NRTV), Romas Jankauskas, has been
named as the new chief of national television. When
sitting on [9th March], NRTV council gave approval to
proposal of NRTV Director-General Arvydas Ilginis to
bless Sestakauskas’ walk-out and taking over of post
by Jankauskas.
Sestakauskas’ resignation came as plenty of LTV
staff members and some persons from [the] NRTV council
voiced discontent with the reforms undertaken by the
director. Meanwhile, his successor stated he was
made an offer just hours before, so he prepared “no
programme speech.”
Nonetheless,
when fielding questions of [the] NRTV council, Jankauskas
portrayed the main tasks LTV staff would have to
face. “The public must be made [to] believe
why it needs a national nonprivatized TV, therefore, we
have to introduce a subscriber’s fee.
Intensive efforts must be pursued in order to introduce
such fees as soon as possible,” the new TV leader
spoke.
At the same
time, he expressed belief the government should be talked
into allocating extra money for NRTV from the government
budget reserve. In [the] 1999 budget the portion of
NRTV funds is less by one-fifth than last year. At
the moment the debt of [the] National Radio and
Television amounts to 4m litas (1m dollars).
However, the director-designate rejected sternly the
emerging rumours about a possible splitting of National
Radio and Television.
ETA news agency,
Tallinn, March 10, 1999
IV.
Estonia: no politics ads in Russian.
Estonian officials have ruled that political parties
dominated by ethnic Russians cannot display campaign
posters in Russian for next week’s national
elections.
Justice
Minister Paul Varul said Russian-language ads violated
language laws mandating that all public signs and notices
be in Estonian. The statement last week came in
response to an appeal of the law by two parties whose
core support comes from ethnic Russians.
About 25 per
cent of Estonia’s 1.5 million people are ethnic
Russians, the majority of whom speak little or no
Estonian, and the government’s efforts to make
Estonian the dominant language are a source of chronic
tension in the former Soviet republic.
The ethnic Russians who came to Estonia during
Soviet rule and their descendants must show proficiency
in Estonian before being granted citizenship. Only
citizens can vote in the national elections March 7.
EJC Media News,
March 2, 1999
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