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| Licensing
In formulating its licensing policies and procedures, Independent Media Commission adheres to European standards of fair broadcast regulation. Licensing rules are intended to ensure that every broadcaster serves a broad public interest, observes certain requirements of professionalism and does not interfere with the transmissions of other broadcasters. The IMC licenses broadcast media. According to the IMC law the IMC has the authority to begin regulation of cable operators. :: What is a Broadcasting License?A broadcast license is a formal contract between a regulatory authority and a radio or television station that allows the broadcaster to use a portion of the frequency spectrum. Because frequencies are a limited public resource, a broadcaster can not own or sell a frequency. A broadcast license is merely a temporary grant to use a frequency under specified conditions.More than just a certificate granting permission to broadcast, a license sets three types of conditions: • general rules of operation that apply to all broadcasters;• technical conditions specific to each broadcaster, such as frequencies to use, power level and location of transmitters; • a programming format specific to each broadcaster.:: IMC Broadcast Licenses The current TMC licenses are provisional documents. They have no specific date of termination. Broadcast licenses issued by the Temporary Media Commissioner remain valid until the Independent Media Commission issues new long-term licenses in accordance with the Law on IMC and Broadcasting. IMC broadcast licenses, including for digital and cable broadcasters, will be valid for a period of seven years for radio stations and ten years for television stations.The existing TMC license package consists of: Explanatory Memorandum Certificate of LicensePart 1 - General Terms and Conditions Part 2 - Technical Terms and ConditionsPart 3 - Program Part 4 - Mapped License AreaA licensee - the holder of a license - may be an individual person, a non-profit organization or a private company. Like all regulators, the TMC sets Qualifications for License which applicants must meet in order to be considered for a license. Information on currently licensed broadcasters is available in the IMC's Main Directory .:: Violations of License If a broadcaster violates the Law on Independent Media Commission and Broadcasting, terms of its license or any IMC Regulations, the Independent Media Commission has the authority to take a variety of disciplinary actions, from formal warnings to financial sanctions. In unusual cases, the IMC may suspend or revoke broadcasting licenses. The process is outlined on the Complaints page.:: History of TMC Licensing The first TMC licenses were issued at the beginning of 2001. From September to December 2000, broadcasters operated under a temporary system of Special Broadcast Authorizations. In November 2001, the TMC called for another round of applications, which were assigned frequencies in March 2002.However, since 2003 the TMC has maintained a moratorium on awarding further licenses. Licensing too many broadcasters could fragment the advertising market, leaving too many stations competing for too little advertising and increasing the risk of financial failure among existing stations. Therefore, the TMC preferred to leave future licensing decisions up to the future Independent Media Commission. In December 2003, the TMC issued a press release on a new policy of limited exceptions to the moratorium: multiethnic stations and stations broadcasting to communities who lack local media. The application period for exceptional licenses was closed on 30 June 2004. This resulted in the award of several new licenses. (the news on amendment, 30 December 2005) Please note that until the re-licensing phase the new broadcast licenses will be not accepted from the Independent Media Commission.
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