The Federal Office for Communication is superfluous

Swiss television violates the provisions with the broadcast of live sport. Nevertheless, the supervisory authority does not issue sanctions. A Federal Office that performs his tasks in this way is unnecessary.

You drive on the highway at 140 speed, get into a speed control – and tell the police: there is no reason to pay the buses because the speed limit is normally adhered to. Which law enforcement officer would agree?

The Federal Office of Communication is the supervisory authority of the SRG. In a supervisory proceedings, it found that Swiss television has violated the provisions with the broadcast of football games on the repeat channel SRF Info. However, the Federal Office does not want to recognize a violation of the license. Why not? Usually the SRG adhere to the rules.

It is the case that the SRG interprets the provisions very far in its own interest. In principle, only “events of national importance” may be shown live on SRF info. SRF also includes handball games and motorcycle races in lower categories. The responsible Federal Office does not report any objections. It would probably also agree to the transfer of a competition in dragon climbing.

The office issues a grotesque order

The 15-page order that the Federal Office has issued is largely grotesque: the authority emphasizes that live sports must remain the exception on the repeat channel. At the same time, the office notes that one hundred live broadcasts on SRF Info had been registered in a period of just three months. So there is an exception every day. And dry rain falls from the sky.

The broadcaster SRF Info was founded so that Swiss television can repeat information programs such as the « Tagesschau » and the « Rundschau ». However, those responsible use the repeat channel to radiate sports programs – as on SRF 2. As is now evident, the SRG will in some cases violate its license. The Federal Office of Communication would have to do the SRG Büssen and demand that broadcasting will in future dispense with violent practice.

However, the Federal Office turns out to be a toothless authority. It looks at how the SRG senders disregard the regulations and gain an advantage over their competitors.

The federal government will soon have to set up a savings program. He should look at Biel: There is a federal office that does not meet his duties. It makes itself unnecessary.