National Council Commission wants to split up media promotion package
The National Council's Telecommunications Commission (KVF) plans to address media funding in two phases. The uncontroversial part—the expansion of indirect press funding—is to be separated from the controversial new direct funding for online media.
This was decided by the committee by a wafer-thin margin of 13 votes to 12, as announced by the parliamentary services on Tuesday. The State Policy Committee (SPK) had also spoken out in favor of tightening the package in a joint report.
The majority doubt that the planned funding of online media amounting to CHF 30 million per year is in line with the constitution, according to a statement. The committee has therefore commissioned further clarifications from the administration.
A minority of the committee, on the other hand, wants to discuss the bill in its entirety. For its part, it believes that media funding should be geared more towards the growing use of digital media and that it would therefore be wrong to delay these measures in particular.
Expansion of indirect press funding
The National Council will debate the first part of the package of measures for the media in the fall session in September. This will focus in particular on the expansion of indirect press subsidies in the Postal Services Act. This has proven its worth for years, according to the committee's communication.
All subscribed daily and weekly newspapers are now to be supported - including national titles with a larger circulation as well as biweekly newspapers and magazines. The lower the circulation, the cheaper the postal delivery should be.
The KVF is proposing to follow the resolutions of the Council of States on most points. In addition to the CHF 50 million for daily and weekly newspapers, the package of measures should also include support for the early delivery of newspapers, including the Sunday press. This will cost the federal government an additional CHF 40 million per year.
A proposal to increase this to 50 million was rejected, as was a proposal to remove the early delivery discount from the bill, according to the press release. The association and member press will now receive CHF 30 million per year instead of CHF 20 million.
Money for news agencies
The National Council committee also wants to exempt simple companies from the corporate fee for radio and TV. In doing so, it is taking up a concern of the parliamentary initiative of Councillor of States Hans Wicki (FDP/NW).
Support for education and training institutions and news agencies as well as IT investments of CHF 30 million per year are also uncontroversial. In the overall vote, the first draft was approved by 12 votes to 7 with 6 abstentions.
With regard to the amendment of the Radio and Television Act (draft 2), the National Council Committee is proposing a change to the decision of the Council of States. The KVF does not want to provide for a fixed distribution between TV and radio broadcasters for the fee shares. In the overall vote, this proposal was adopted by 14 votes to 0 with 10 abstentions.
In the summer session, the Council of States allocated more money for indirect press funding than the Federal Council had requested. However, the small chamber did not release the spending brake on the promotion of online media, which means that no money is likely to be allocated to this area. (SDA)
