The Parliament discussed for the I reading and adopted the Draft Law on Broadcasting with 80 votes.

The Draft regulates the technical inaccuracies in the Law and specifies the definitions as follows in line with the European standards: media service, video sharing platform, editorial responsibility; as well as the issues of the conclusion of the national session of the Communications Commission.

The annual report of the Commission shall reflect the plans for the upcoming year and the fulfillment of the plans for the preceding year. As stipulated, a simplified authorization rule shall be established for the video-sharing platform service providers; they shall get authorized through a simple way – submission of notices to the Communications Commission.

The Draft reduces liability for broadcasting the programs inappropriate for minors; the hereof offense shall be subject to the written warning instead of the penalty as established under the Law for other violations; however, every following offense shall be subject to the penalty; hence the preventive effect of regulation remains unchanged.

The Communications Commission shall no longer regulate the violations relating to the hate language of the media service providers, call for terrorism and the right to respond; the hereof authority shall be delegated to the self-regulatory body established on the basis of the Code of Conduct.

The amendment concerns the immediate enforcement of the sanctions by the Commission that are being introduced to the Law as a result of the consultations. The amendments are based on the conclusion developed upon the appeal of the Georgian Parliament to the CoE Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law.