The European Commission has warned the Lithuanian regulator RRT that obliging terrestrial broadcasters to use specific suppliers to transmit their programmes constitutes a barrier to competition and prevents new terrestrial transmission service providers from entering the market.
Although the EC believes regulators no longer need to intervene in broadcasting markets in principal, RRT does so due to the exclusive position granted in Lithuania to the transmission company LRTC and incumbent telco TEO LT.
The EC has told RRT that the Lithuanian licensing regime for broadcasters is a legal obstacle to competition in five of seven markets. These markets depend on whether frequencies are assigned to the broadcaster or broadcasting transmission services.
TEO LT currently operates DTT and IPTV services, both of which use the brand name GALA, in Lithuania.