Full TV fees despite excessive advertising
Even those who are annoyed by too much advertising on television must pay the full reception fees. Although the Federal Administrative Court rejected the complaint of a Billag customer, it did at least show some understanding for his request.
In 2010, the person concerned asked Billag to reduce his radio and television reception fees because they were excessive in view of the large amount of TV advertising. He returned the annual statement for 2011 on the grounds that a third of the program consisted of advertising that was of no use.
After Billag and then the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) ordered him to pay the full fees, he appealed to the Federal Administrative Court. As was hardly to be expected, the judges in St. Gallen have now also rejected his appeal.
Making representations to SRG
According to the ruling, anyone who owns a device that is ready to receive must pay the full fee regardless of what is offered. At least the court concedes that the request is not completely without interest. However, he should have chosen the "right channel" and contacted the SRG directly. The judges also pointed out to him that there are already interesting advertising-free television channels that are operated by the SRG itself or in cooperation with foreign broadcasters. In addition, most SRG broadcasts can be viewed on its homepage, where online advertising is prohibited. (sda)
