Billag to collect radio and TV fees until 2017
Anyone with a radio or TV connection will continue to receive mail from Billag at least once a year until 2017. The Swisscom subsidiary will remain responsible for collecting the levy until the new system comes into force.
The contract between Billag and the federal government, which would have expired at the end of 2014, has been extended until 2017, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) announced in July. It made sense to leave the mandate with Billag, it said at the time. If the mandate were to be reassigned for only three years, other companies would not be able to perform this task profitably in view of the effort and amortization costs for infrastructure, IT and personnel. Since the contract extension is a mere addition to the previous contract, it was awarded by private treaty, as permitted by the Ordinance on Public Procurement. On the other hand, the mandate of the future collection agency will be put out to public tender when a new levy system comes into force. (SDA)
Image: Keystone
