Bakom: 67 million francs in fees cannot be distributed
Beim Bundesamt für Kommunikation Bakom haben sich 66,8 Millionen Gebührenfranken angesammelt, die nicht verteilt werden können.
According to the Sonntag newspaper, Bakom Deputy Director Matthias Ramsauer has confirmed this. The money comes from fee splitting for private radio and TV stations, for which 4 percent of Billag fee income has been reserved each year since 2007. The reason for the surplus: Private stations such as Tele Bärn or Radio 32 receive less money overall than is in the splitting pot due to the maximum subsidies regulated in the licenses.
The surpluses are a "clear legislative oversight" that must be corrected when the law is revised, Ramsauer is quoted as saying in Sonntag. Bakom intends to draw up a draft revision by the beginning of 2011. Internally, the office is said to have already discussed two options: The money will be indirectly refunded to the fee payers, for example by reducing the Billag fees. Alternatively, the surplus could be transferred to a special fund for the benefit of fluctuations in SRG's budget development.
The surpluses are a "clear legislative oversight" that must be corrected when the law is revised, Ramsauer is quoted as saying in Sonntag. Bakom intends to draw up a draft revision by the beginning of 2011. Internally, the office is said to have already discussed two options: The money will be indirectly refunded to the fee payers, for example by reducing the Billag fees. Alternatively, the surplus could be transferred to a special fund for the benefit of fluctuations in SRG's budget development.
