Government bill · 18th Knesset · published as law 26 January 2010
חוק הרשות השניה לטלוויזיה ורדיו (תיקון מס' 32), התש"ע-2010Second Authority for Television and Radio Law (Amendment No. 32), 2010 · automatic translation · suggest a correction
Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית
Topics: Communications, media and technology* · * from the Knesset's official law classification
What the sponsors propose
The bill is intended to allow an extension of the broadcasting franchise on Channel 3 held by the current franchisee (Israel 10), which was due to expire at the end of January 2010, subject to conditions intended to complete, by 31 December 2011, commitments that the franchisee failed to meet, while modifying some of them. According to the sponsors, tender proceedings for selecting a new franchisee have not yet begun, and broadcast continuity cannot be ensured if the current franchise is terminated, which could harm pluralism, competition in advertising, and the range of broadcasts available to the public. According to the explanatory notes, the arrangement also includes provisions for payment of the franchisees' past debts to the Second Authority (franchise fees and royalties), the possibility of spreading these payments under certain conditions, refunding surpluses to franchisees for prior years, and temporary adjustments to the required spending on the production of high-quality programs and Israeli films, in light of the economic crisis that harmed the franchisees' revenues.
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Hebrew original
הצעת החוק נועדה לאפשר הארכה של זיכיון השידור בערוץ השלישי של בעל הזיכיון הנוכחי (ישראל 10), שעמד לפוג בסוף ינואר 2010, בכפוף לתנאים שנועדו להשלים עד 31.12.2011 מחויבויות שבהן לא עמד בעל הזיכיון, תוך שינוי חלקן. לדברי המציעים, טרם החלו הליכי מכרז לבחירת זכיין חדש, ולא ניתן להבטיח רציפות שידורים אם הזיכיון הנוכחי יופסק, דבר שעלול לפגוע בפלורליזם, בתחרות בפרסום ובהיצע השידורים לציבור. לפי דברי ההסבר, ההסדר כולל גם הוראות לתשלום חובות עבר של בעלי הזיכיונות לרשות השניה (דמי זיכיון ותמלוגים), אפשרות פריסתם בתנאים מסוימים, החזר עודפים לבעלי זיכיונות בעד שנים קודמות, והתאמות זמניות בהיקף ההוצאה הנדרשת להפקת תכניות מסוגה עילית ולהפקת סרטים ישראליים, זאת在 נוכח המשבר הכלכלי שפגע בהכנסות בעלי הזיכיונות.
An automatic summary of the explanatory notes written by the bill's sponsors. These are their arguments, not an official Knesset summary. · The bill on the Knesset website · write to the author
Readings
- 23 November 2009 · First reading · להעביר את הצעת החוק לוועדההצעת חוק הרשות השנייה לטלויזיה ורדיו (תיקון מס' 32)(הארכה בתנאים של זיכיון לשידורי טלוויזיה בערוץ השלישי והסדר חובות), התש"ע-2009Bill Second Authority for Television and Radio (Amendment No. 32) (Extension under conditions of a television broadcast license for the third channel and debt arrangement), 2009autoBill passed first reading11 for · 0 against
- 25 January 2010 · Third reading · אישור החוקהצעת חוק הרשות השניה לטלויזיה ורדיו (תיקון מס' 32), התש"ע-2010Bill on the Second Authority for Television and Radio (Amendment No. 32), 2010autoLaw passed17 for · 2 against
What was said in the plenum
The law extends Channel 10's license by two years, after it had faced closure for failing to meet its obligations (content, royalties, the location of the news company in Jerusalem), while establishing arrangements for spreading out debts and new obligations as a condition for the extension. The debate focused mainly on whether it is appropriate to grant relief to a licensee that previously violated the license terms, and on concerns about the effects of the channel's closure on the market, alongside calls for a more comprehensive reform of the media market.
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Hebrew original
החוק מאריך בשנתיים את זיכיונו של ערוץ-10, שעמד בפני סגירה בשל כשלונו לעמוד בהתחייבויותיו (תוכן, תמלוגים, מיקום חברת החדשות בירושלים), תוך קביעת הסדרי פריסת חובות והתחייבויות חדשות כתנאי להארכה. הדיון נסב בעיקר על השאלה האם ראוי להעניק הקלות לזכיין שהפר בעבר את תנאי הזיכיון, ועל החשש מהשלכות סגירת הערוץ על השוק, לצד קריאות לרפורמה מקיפה יותר בשוק התקשורת.
Arguments for
- If the license is not extended, Channel 10's screen will go dark within a short time, before a tender for a new licensee can be completed and broadcast continuity ensured.Moshe Kahlon (Likud), Ofir Akunis (Likud)
- Leaving a single commercial channel will harm pluralism, create a monopoly in the advertising market, and damage Israeli creative production and the flow of information to the public.Moshe Kahlon (Likud), Ofir Akunis (Likud)
- Closing the channel would also harm the livelihood of hundreds of employees and the continued existence of a major broadcasting body in the country.Moshe Kahlon (Likud), Yulia Shamalov Berkovich (Kadima)
- The law includes renewed conditions and commitments (investment in content and film, relocating the news company to Jerusalem, financial guarantees) that ensure the licensee will meet its obligations this time.Ofir Akunis (Likud), Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home)
- Competition between two commercial channels, even if not revolutionary, is preferable to a situation of a single commercial channel.Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home)
Arguments against
- Channel 10 previously violated most of its obligations (content, royalties, the location of the news company's seat), and under the wording of the law it should not have been entitled to an extension but rather to a tender for a new licensee.
- This is already the fifth amendment to the law intended to ease the burden on the franchisee, and there is concern that the current relief measures will also fail to prevent a recurrence of the situation in the future, as this is merely a temporary solution that does not address the structural failure in the market.Moshe Kahlon (Likud), Ofir Akunis (Likud)
- The channel's broadcast content should be shifted in a more value-based and educational direction rather than focusing on competition over cheap and sensational content, and if the government grants relief, it should demand in return that the content be refined.Nissim Zeev (Shas)
- A comprehensive revolution is needed in the entire media market, not an exceptional, one-off rescue of a licensee that failed to meet the tender's conditions, since the practice of rescuing entities that failed to meet their obligations undermines the principle of accountability for public tenders.Yulia Shamalov Berkovich (Kadima)
- Erasing Channel 10's debts is meaningless if the government does not actually commit to helping the channel continue to exist.Nissim Zeev (Shas)
Who spoke (5)
| Member | Faction | Readings | Speeches | In the final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moshe Kahlon | Likud coalition | First reading, Third reading | 4 | for |
| Nissim Zeev | Shas coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Ofir Akunis | Likud coalition | Third reading | 6 | for |
| Zevulun Orlev | Jewish Home coalition | Third reading | 2 | for |
| Yulia Shamalov Berkovich | Kadima opposition | Third reading | 2 | for |
An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2 · write to the author
Reservations, sections and other votes (1)
In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.
- 25 January 2010 · Second reading · קריאה שנייההצעת חוק הרשות השניה לטלויזיה ורדיו (תיקון מס' 32), התש"ע-2010Bill on the Second Authority for Television and Radio (Amendment No. 32), 2010auto16 for · 2 againstVote on sections of the bill