Government assigned funds to clear debt of National public broadcaster to BRT

On March 25th, the Cabinet of Ministers passed several rulings aimed to resume reliable television and radio broadcasting in Ukraine, as to Detector Media which refers to its source of information present at government sitting. In particular, the government settled to assign 97 millions of hryvnias ($ 3 599 090) from the government budget to clear the debt of the National television and radio broadcasting company (NPTU) to corporate group BRT (Broadcasting, radio ccommunications and television concern) for provided broadcasting services. The funds have to be received by the authority to manage funds the State committee for television andradio broadcasting which is shareholder of the NPTU and which has to transfer the funds to clear the arrears. Moreover, the government adoptedadecision to forbidden to cut offelectricity to the objects of strategic importance of television and radio broadcasting. Such interdiction had been in force since 2015, but since February 1st, 2019 this interdiction was no longer in force, due to some amendments to some regulatory legal acts. IMI informed on March 22nd in Sumy region the Ukrainian television broadcasting had been ceased due to arrears that the company provider of digital television broadcasting “Zeonbud” had arrears to the corporate group BRT (Broadcasting, radio ccommunications and television concern). Also “1+1” group claimed the same day its channel had been unplugged in Sumy and Poltava regions. On March 20th -21st in several districts in Sumy and Poltava regions had been completely cut off from digital, radio and analogue broadcasting. In particular, in Sumy region they unplugged the retransmitters in town Bilopillya wich is adjacent to Russian border. These transmitters ensure broadcasting of ‘1+1” and “UA:Pershyy”. The media holding claimed that in Sumy broadcasting of pro-presidential TV channels went on. The similar incidents happened in Poltava region, in the village Krasnogorivka where the digital broadcasting of all TV channels was suspended due to disconnection of transmitters.