Opposition parties block parliamentary debate on raising media license fees

The Czech Chamber of Deputies was unable to vote on a bill to increase radio and television license fees due to obstruction by opposition leaders Andrej Babiš (ANO Party) and Tomio Okamura (SPD Party). Babiš spoke for 1.5 hours, while Okamura occupied the floor for 3.5 hours, delaying proceedings on Friday. Okamura announced plans to continue blocking the bill, which he criticized as a burden on citizens. He reiterated SPD’s stance to abolish the fees and turn Czech Television and Czech Radio into state-funded organizations. The government defends the proposal as essential for sustaining public service media.  The bill raises the TV fee to CZK 150 and the radio fee to CZK 55 per month, extending the fees to internet-capable devices while maintaining one household payment regardless of the number of devices. Further debate is expected next Wednesday.