Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has strongly cricised Serbia Broadband (SBB), the country’s leading electronic communications company.
Speaking in parliament and quoted by Srbija Danas, she said that the company does not repect the Law on Electronic Media and regulatory body RATEL, adding that those who speak the most about media freedom actually do not respect the laws of Serbia.
Responding to a question by the deputy Marijan Ristevic about the work of SBB, Brnabic also said that in a country where there is “censorship and monopoly” SBB accounts for a 51% share of the media content distribution market.
Brnabic argued that SBB entered the Serbian market at a time the grey economy was strong and was supported by political elites, which legalised it.
She also pointed out that Telekom Srbija accounts for around 36% of the media distribution market and Posta Srbija around 4%.
Why did Telekom Srbija pay three times higher fees than SBB and why did SBB not allow RATEL to check the figures, citing them as a business secret?
Brnabic also accused SBB of not conforming to Article 100 of the Law on Electronic Media, under which operators are required to respect channel numbering and place public service broadcasters first.
