Moldovan cable operators protest foreign channel restrictions

New restrictions in Moldova on foreign channels have provoked complaints from the country’s 10 largest cable operators, according to local reports.

According to a revised broadcasting code agreed by the Moldovan parliament, a number of commercial foreign channels will be prohibited from January 1. According to the cable operators, they were not consulted or invited to make submissions ahead of the changes being agreed. The operators say that the changes will have disastrous effect on the economy and will lead to consumers turning to black market relay services to receive the channels.