RDC will reduce service prices, if electricity does not increase in price

The Radio-Diffusion Center (RDC) will consider the possibility of further lowering the prices of services to commercial electronic broadcasters this year, which will largely depend on the energy market, said RDC director Željko Nikolić. He said that RDC informed the Ministry of Finance about this intention, explaining that, in due time, a final decision will be made, after they receive the approval of the Electronic Communications Agency for their pricing policy. Nikolić also explained that RDC submitted the January invoices, on which VAT was paid, noting that the story of a possible additional reduction was started at the end of last month. The director of In Television, Rade Vojvodić, said earlier that RDC disputes the announced reduction of the amount for its services to electronic media, because that media company received the same invoice for January as for December. Vojvodić reminded that the Ministry of Finance had previously announced that RDC and the Telecommunications Agency would to reduce its services by 20 percent, as part of the state's support to the media in times of crisis. "In due course, when we receive approval for our price list from the Agency for Electronic Communications, we will reduce that amount by 10-20 percent, depending on the type of service that we provide," said Nikolić to the MINA agency. He said that electronic commercial broadcasters can be given additional help only if energy prices do not increase. "If there is no increase in prices, we will try to reduce the prices of services in the part of transmission and lease", he said. Nikolić reminded that last year RDC made downward corrections in the prices of its services, thus showing that it also monitors the market and takes care of radio and TV broadcasters. "Our goal is to create good conditions for their work, both through the pricing policy and through the quality of the service provided. To that end, last year, the prices for renting transmission capacities for the needs of TV traffic transmission were reduced by 15 percent." stated Nikolić. After the price correction, invoices were reduced by 12 to 50 percent for radio broadcasters who use the RDC transmission system, depending on the structure of the services provided to them. According to Nikolić, the RDC Board of Directors should now make a decision about the price list, which is approved by the Agency for Electronic Communications. As he said, in addition to last year's reduction of services, the RDC has agreed in principle with the Government, i.e. the Ministry of Finance, that when the debts for 2009 and last year are taken over, they will find a way through price reduction "If the price of electricity rises, then we have nothing to talk about reducing the prices of our services," said Nikolić.