The Latvian cable operator Izzi has criticised tabled amendments to the country’s Electronic Communications related to the distribution of regional and local TV channels.
According its board member Sandra Kraujina, they are vague and do not specify rights and obligations, making them unfeasible in their current form.
Existing legislation requires cable operators to carry national channels at their own expense.
Furthermore, unlike the incumbent telco Lattelecom, which operates both IPTV and DTT services, they cannot charge subscribers for these channels.
Kraujina also pointed out that operators that offer digital services no longer have the capacity to offer regional and local TV services, some only on air for a few hours daily, and that doing so would have a detrimental effect on their businesses.
Izzi is one of the leading cable operators in Latvia, with its main competitors being Lattelelcom and the cableco Baltcom.
