On October 22, during the EEBC exhibition, the Forum of Cable Television Operators of Ukraine will be held. The items on the agenda are current trends in the pay television market and the effectiveness of state regulation of the industry.

The Forum will bring together major companies of television and telecommunications market, provider associations, content providers and television equipment suppliers. People’s deputies of Ukraine, chairpersons and representatives of public authorities are welcome.

2008-2009 have been marked as years of intense struggle for survival of the industry. The crisis ... Limitation of the retransmission of foreign television channels, international versions of which are universally recognized and accessible throughout the world, the inability or reluctance of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting to implement a registration principle of licensing program services providers, multiple violations of license fee calculation and inspection procedure have led to mass references of business entities to the court for the protection of justice. Most cases have been won, some are ongoing, but officials from the National Council pretend that nothing is happening, and the time has stuck on their office clocks.

Unlawful activities of the National Council have been brought to the attention of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Freedom of Speech and Information, thanks to the efforts of which, through amendments to the law, clear rules for license fee calculation have been set and the European Convention on Transfrontier Broadcasting has been ratified. Ukraine has made a European choice in the distribution of foreign television products. However, it has been about half a year since the European Convention was adopted, and nothing has changed in the National Council. The lists of allowed channels, disgraceful for the country, are still there, and providers still have to wait months or even years for legitimate licenses or minute changes in the conditions of licenses.

The Ukrainian Music Alliance has enjoined payment for the right to use phonograms, video, and audio-visual products upon providers... Dozens of lawsuits have been brought to cable networks for compulsory contracting with the alliance... Providers are outraged – the TV network does not use intellectual property on tangible media – additional unreasonable charges will bear heavily on the subscriber's wallet.

These and other issues will be covered in the speeches of the chairpersons of industry associations – the Ukrteleset Association, the Union of Cable TV of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Association of Cable TV and Teleinformation Networks Operators, the Telecommunications Chamber of Ukraine, the West Ukrainian Guild, the Crimean Association of Cable Television Operators and others...

Registration of Ukrteleset participants evhvorost@uts.dn.ua Tel. (062)348-43-91, Fax (062)345-26-01

To register for speech, please contact Natalya Klitnaya +38 062 348 43 91, nik@uts.dn.ua