The Committee heard the Report of GNCC for 2021, introduced by the member of the commission, Vakhtang Abashidze summing up the projects implemented in 2021 and dwelling in the plans for 2022. The report reflects the media milieu and fixed and mobile markets in the country. The reporter overviewed the broadcasting and e-communications tendencies, as well as the media-literacy development by the Commission and the activity of the Media Academy.

According to him, there are 116 authorized TV broadcasting channels in Georgia, where 22 are open-air broadcasters and 55 are radio companies.

The State Budget in 2021 has been supplemented by 367 374 000 GEL from the communications sphere. The monitoring by the Commission revealed that the Georgian media is pluralistic and diverse, though the challenges remain in terms of political impartiality, hate language and false information but the Commission takes respective steps for the elimination.

“One of the responsibilities of the Commission is to facilitate the media-literacy development, in regards to which we have implemented immense works and enjoy tangible outcomes. We have set up the special unit, as well as we have the Media Academy at the Commission implementing various projects. On the one hand, the Academy requalifies journalists and on the other hand, strives to requalify school pedagogues and trainers. The youth participates in various programs and competitions and I am glad that media literacy is truly voluminous and important not only in Georgia but worldwide since against the background of the lingering challenges, related to fake news or other propaganda, it is crucial to equip first of all the students with respective tools to allow them to safely navigate in the telecommunications sphere”, - he added.

The report includes information on the internet state program Log in Georgia, realized by the Commission with the financial support of the World Bank and EIB.

The report resumes the decisions made by the Commission in view of the opening of the fixed and mobile markets and provides the broadcasting and telecommunication tendencies. The Committee gave a positive assessment to the report.