Romanian telecommunications authority Ancom launched a public consultation on a draft decision on the identification of relevant markets for the services of analogue terrestrial broadcasting of public television and radio programme services, according Telecompaper. Ancom proposes to define the relevant markets and to withdraw the price control obligation which had been imposed on the National Radiocommunications Company (Radiocom) as it found following a market analysis that this company no longer has significant market power. Comments and proposals can be submitted to Ancom by 6 November.
The analysis of available information and historical data for the period 2009-2016 showed that the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company (SRR) and the Romanian Television Company (SRTV), the main buyers of broadcasting services provided by Radiocom, have important negotiating power, being able to exercise counteracting power and to influence the tariffs charged by the seller, and in fact to behave independently from it.
Under these circumstances, the authority considers that Radiocom no longer has significant power in 3 relevant wholesale markets, namely the market for analogue terrestrial broadcasting of public television programme services; market for analogue terrestrial broadcasting of public radio programme services in frequency modulation, as well as the market for analogue terrestrial broadcasting of public radio programme services in amplitude modulation.
The withdrawal of the obligation imposed on Radiocom in the three markets will not affect the end-users of public television programme services, FM broadcasting programmes and AM broadcasting programmes, Ancom said in a press release. The end-users will not be affected - either directly, by a possible increase in the tariffs for radio and TV subscriptions (abolished as of 1 February), or indirectly, by a possible decrease in the quality of programmes offered by SRTV and SRR.
