Government will propose upping license fees for public broadcasters

The government will propose upping license fees for the country’s public broadcasters, Czech Television and Czech Radio, Culture Minister Martin Baxa told the news site Novinky. The ministry also wants to amend the existing legislation so as to make license fees compulsory for people who own a smart phone or tablet, on which TV and radio programs can also be accessed. This would increase the number of households paying license fees by around 600,000. Czech Radio, which celebrated its centenary on May 18, would like the current monthly license fee of 45 crowns increased to 60. The monthly license fee for Czech Television is presently 135 crowns.