Communications Regulatory Authority

and rights, and of a person’s dignity, of promotion and protection of welfare, health and
physical, psychic and moral harmonious development of children), RAI shall provide a
wide range of television, radio and multimedia programmes intended for all users, and
consequently take into account different trends, opinions, and tastes. Moreover, some
types of programmes which are definitely of the public-service type, (news, education,
training, cultural promotion, programmes for children) shall be aired to a proportionate
extent in all hour brackets, including peak-time ones, and within all television and radio
programmes, while reference is made to the service contract where each genre is set out
per type.
Pursuant to the law, AGCOM shall then set out in a resolution the number of
hours the concessionnaire is required to devote annually to the broadcasting of the types
of programmes relating to public service obligations, with the exclusion of
entertainment programmes for children, under article 45, paragraph 2, letter b of the
radio and television broadcasting Consolidation Act.
With regard to the protection of children, in compliance with European and
national regulations and with the provisions set forth in the television-and-children selfregulation
Code of Conduct approved on 29 November 2002, RAI shall devote an
annual share of programmes, to be set out in the service contract, to be specifically
intended for entertainment programmes for children and for training and information
programmes for children and teenagers, taking into account the precise criteria set forth
in the television-and-children self-regulation Code of Conduct with regard to
programmes aired within the 4:00-7:00 p.m. hour bracket. It was also confirmed that all
programmes aired within 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. shall respect children’s dignity, so
avoiding to broadcast programmes that might upset children.
On the other hand, educational and training programmes shall be aimed at
causing scientific and humanities culture to be circulated, at spreading the knowledge of
foreign languages and the I.T., at arts and music training and at teaching, including
long-distance learning. As regards broadcasts intended for people with sensory
disabilities and social broadcasts, it is specifically required that such adequate measures,
to be set out in the service contract, be adopted as to guarantee an increase in volume of
current offers, both in terms of quantity and in terms of types of programme genres, also
with special reference to the requirement to cover issues regarding weak population
segments, with the allocation of adequate space to associations and social movements.
Resolution no. 55/06/CONS provided for the introduction of an offer quality assessment
system in compliance with article 48, paragraph 1 of the Consolidation Act, which
entrusts AGCOM with the task of verifying whether the public service is actually
provided pursuant to the law and to service contracts, while also taking account of
service quality standards and user satisfaction ratings, as set out in the service contract.
This system shall be set up by RAI by assembling a set of indicators based both
on offer quality criteria as set out in the guidelines, and on the understanding of public
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