Czech Coalition Sends Broadcast Funding Bill to Committees After Night Vote
Lawmakers worked through the night to advance a proposal that would end the 205 crown household broadcasting fee and shift costs to the state budget.
By Harper Laurent ·
The governing coalition of Prime Minister Andrej Babis pushed a public media funding overhaul into committee review during an overnight parliamentary session that ran into the early hours of Saturday. Lawmakers voted to refer the bill for further discussion rather than hold a final vote. The measure would end the 205 crown ($9.45) annual fee that households currently pay toward broadcasting.
Under the proposal, funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio would drop by about 15 percent, with nominal funding then held flat for several years. The state budget would absorb the costs previously covered by the household fee. Babis has pledged to eliminate the fee and said his three-party government is carrying out that commitment to voters.
Babis, a billionaire who took office last December, leads a coalition that includes the far-right SPD party. He has defended the plan as fairer for lower-income households and said it would push broadcasters to operate more efficiently. In a Facebook post late Friday, he rejected criticism that the changes endanger press freedom, writing: "There is no war for independent media. There is no fight for democracy and no nationalisation of media is being prepared."
Opposition parties have compared the legislation to changes implemented under Viktor Orban in neighboring Hungary. Staff at the public broadcasters have also objected. They struck in June over the proposal, saying that placing their funding under the state budget would expose them to government pressure. Babis and his coalition have previously criticized coverage from both public and private media and accused some outlets of bias.
Czech Television ranks among the most trusted news sources in the country and is the most-watched broadcaster across several age groups. A civic group has scheduled a public demonstration for Sunday. Journalists and other employees at the broadcasters have announced a strike for November 3.
The bill now moves to committee for further discussion.
