The Latvian Seimas approved amendments to the Law “On Protected Services”, according to which individuals will face a fine for watching illegal content using satellite TV. The Delfi portal reports.
Previously, the law provided for sanctions for broadcasting prohibited content for commercial purposes. Now the responsibility for watching Russian TV channels will begin to be extended to individuals. “It is assumed that the amendments to the law will restrict viewers’ access to unlicensed viewing of Russian TV channels in the republic,” the authors of the initiative said.
They noted that, as of 2018, about 62 thousand households in Latvia used the services of illegal operators. By these measures, the authorities plan to reduce the number of such connections by at least six thousand. The lawmakers have not yet announced the amount of the fine.
Earlier it was reported that the Latvian cable TV operator Tet from February 1 stopped broadcasting the Russian First Channel, NTV Mir, REN TV Baltiya, Kinokomediya and Kinomiks. The management of the company noted that the restrictions were imposed due to “ambiguities in the right to represent channels” and “concern over compliance with the sanctions regime.”