Communications Regulatory Authority

3.7 THE FINANCIAL POLICE AND POSTAL AND
COMMUNICATIONS POLICE
With reference to the regulatory framework and the memorandums of
understanding drafted in July 2002 and February 2003, the collaboration activity
between AGCOM, the Financial Police – through the Special Radio Broadcasting and
Publishing Unit – and the Postal and Communications Police confirmed, for 2005 also,
a relationship of productive and useful cooperation that made it possible, within their
respective spheres of action, to put into motion synergies and professional talents
capable of having a decisive affect on the quality of the actions and their effectiveness.
The collaboration activity with the Financial Police is based on the consolidated
experience in the economic-financial field, used mainly in the activities monitoring
compliance with the regulations in effect on dominant positions, advertising sales
ceilings, accounting separation obligations, and the obligations of communications
operators concerning the payment of the yearly concession fee, as well as the activity
monitoring copyright protection and the compliance with the principle of equal access
to political communication media. The Financial Police also played a fundamental role
within the framework of the supervision over the access to communication media and
over the compliance with the regulations protecting intellectual property rights.
The collaboration with the Postal and Communications Police mainly makes use
of the inspection and investigation activities made available for user protection.
During each election and referendum campaign period, the Special Unit of the
Financial Police (also interfacing with the provincial units of the corps) worked in close
collaboration with AGCOM’s offices for the purpose of acquiring magnetic media,
documentation, and material useful to AGCOM for carrying out its duties under the
laws in effect, of managing the reports and complaints involving local broadcasters and
publications, and also of making available, as needed, specialized personnel for
guaranteeing compliance with the “par condicio” (equal time) laws during the preelection
period.
Also in 2005, the Special Unit guaranteed the fulfilment of the duties envisaged
for the communications sector operators; in particular, with regard to the payment of the
annual fee owed AGCOM, as a source of self-financing calculated at 0.65 per thousand
of the revenues earned, the activity carried out by the Financial Police made it possible
to discover 875 defaulting operators who had to pay the above-said fee. As for the
ascertainment of the payment of the annual concession fees for the exercise of the
radio/television activity at the national and local levels, pursuant to Article 27,
paragraph 9, of Law no. 488 of 23 December 1999, the activity carried out by the
Special Unit of the Financial Police made it possible to complete the checks of public
and private television operators to see whether they had paid the fees for the years 2000
and 2001.
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