Cable TV operators will shut down all broadcasts today for one hour, as a warning against attempts by the Government to impose severe restrictions on their work. The ruling SDSM party is trying to curry favor with the big domestic TV stations ahead of the elections and adopted a law and then a decree that would make cable operators liable if a foreign TV station they broadcast has not paid licencing fees for its programs.

Cable operators say that it is impossible for them to inspect foreign TV stations and say that the rule is meant to stop them from broadcasting any foreign programs, and to favor domestic channels. Macedonia TV stations are also demanding that cable operators pay them for broadcasting their program, a request to which the cable companies, which include Deutsche Telekom and Telekom Austria, have said that they would rather stop broadcasting Macedonian channels. Reducing their ability to broadcast channels from other Balkan countries or foreign channels would open the cable companies to pressure from the domestic channels. The Government adopted the law in the scandalous last session of the Parliament before it dissolved in February, then suspended its application, then, under pressure from the TV stations, issued a decree to order the law back into effect, and began a process of negotiations.

We failed to reach agreement with the representatives of the Macedonian national TV stations, and now we decided to stop broadcasts for one hour. We will announce our future steps, which could be more radical, in the coming period, said Toni Tosevski, from the Association of cable operators.