‘All Stop’ for Italian DTT process
January 23, 2012
By Chris Forrester
Italy’s government has called a halt for the time being on the sale – or otherwise – of spare digital frequencies. The probability is that Italy will start charging for these new operating TV licences, but Industry Minister Corrado Passera told parliament on January 20th that he would suspend any decision for 90 days to allow more dialogue.
“After reviewing the situation together with the regulator and other European institutions, we decided to suspend the procedure for 90 days to better assess the situation,” Passera said in a press conference following a key cabinet meeting that approved a long-awaited liberalization decree.
Some 10 broadcasters are lined up to bid for the new channels, although Sky Italia is on record as saying that it would not be bidding.