Parliament Endorses Draft Law on Broadcasting

On November 11 the Georgian Parliament approved a draft law on broadcasting in its first hearing, with a 104 to 9 vote. The draft law envisages the transformation of the State Television into a public broadcasting network, starting in 2006.
 
According to the draft, the station will recieve 1.5% of the total yearly income tax collected. The public television station will also have the right to sell commercial spots. Some private broadcasting companies fear that both the funding from the state budget and the income from advertisements will give the station an unfair advantage in the sparse TV advertisement market.
 
The Rightist Opposition faction voted against the draft law, claiming that a public broadcaster will not be able to justify its purpose and will remain under the control of the authorities.