ANCOM launches consultation draft on granting licenses for digital radio frequencies

ANCOM has published in consultation the Draft Government Decision on the granting of licenses for the use of radio frequencies in terrestrial digital broadcasting system, which establishes the procedure for the selection procedure, the conditions for granting licenses for the use of radio frequencies and minimum fees license for T-DAB + digital terrestrial multiplexes that the Authority will auction through.

The minimum license fee for national multiplexers, which represents the starting price of the auction, is EUR 75,000. If regional multiplexes are allocated, the minimum license fee varies according to the area it is allocated to, ranging from EUR 1,050 to 5,500 for a multiplex allocated in Bucharest. Taxes for regional multiplexes are available in the annex to the Draft Government Decision, published here.

The license fee resulting from the selection procedure will be paid to the state budget within no more than 90 calendar days from the announcement of the auction results.

Multiplexes of digital broadcasting

On August 23, 2018, ANCOM launched in public consultation the decision to organize the tender and the specifications for the allocation of a national multiplex digital terrestrial T-DAB + band 223-230 MHz (the 12th television channel) and a multiplex national digital terrestrial broadcasting T-DAB + or 36 regional multiplexes in the 216-223 MHz band (television channel 11). Regional multiplexes may be granted only if no valid tender under the selection procedure is submitted for the national license in the band 216-223 MHz.

These multiplexes will be awarded for a period of 10 years through a competitive selection procedure.

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Auction Procedure

The competitive selection procedure requires each bidder to submit an initial bid indicating the multiplexes he wishes to acquire. If demand exceeds the number of multiplexes available, primary rounds of bidding will be organized until the demand no longer exceeds the offer.

All the qualification criteria for participants proposed by ANCOM are available in the tender specifications.

The timetable for the procedure

The auction will be started by publishing an announcement once the documentation has been finalized. Those interested in participating in the procedure will have four weeks from the start-up notice for submission of the application file, and ANCOM will announce the qualifying applications within two days of the submission, and then the actual stages of the tender will be carried out. ANCOM will announce the results of the auction within three days of its completion, and the licensee’s payment of the license fee resulting from the procedure must be made within 90 calendar days of the announcement of the results.

Obligations of coverage

The winners of the national multiplexes will be obliged within 2 years from the date of obtaining the licenses to put into operation a number of at least 10 transmitters and to launch the service after installing and authorizing at least two transmitters in Bucharest for each multiplex.

Winners of regional multiplexes will be required to put at least one broadcaster into each allocation within 18 months of the date of obtaining the licenses.