Media Authority
Also called: CoM
The Commissariaat voor de Media (CoM) is the regulator for compliance with the Media Act and the Fixed Book Price Act. It is an independent administrative body (zbo), an organization appointed by law that operates independently of a ministry. Based on its task, the Commissariat promotes and guarantees the independence, diversity and accessibility of the media and the freedom of information.
The CoM issues licenses and permits, reviews compliance with regulations, and can take enforcement action where necessary, which can result in large fines in extreme cases.
The Media Authority's activities under the Media Act focus on television, radio and video on demand. The Media Act includes rules that public, regional and local broadcasters must comply with, including in the area of advertising. The law also regulates the financing of public broadcasters, the admission of broadcasting associations to the broadcasting system (NPO), required licenses for commercial media companies and the availability of broadcasts of important events in the field of sports and culture via the open networks
