Convergence and general audiovisual legislation in Spain

Today, the phenomenon of convergence between the telecom and audiovisual industries is a market reality within both the international and Spanish context. The government's announcement of the imminent remission of a general audiovisual act, together with the fact that Spanish society has long demanded an independent regulatory authority for audiovisuals, have led to the possibility being considered of there finally being a convergent authority in Spain, based on the structure of the CMT. In 1995 the Spanish senate unanimously passed a report asking for this to be created and, in 2000, the Council of Europe passed a recommendation, with Spain voting in favour, which urged member states to create independent audiovisual authorities, a mandate that some autonomous communities in Spain have already complied with, such as Catalonia, Navarre and Andalusia, but not the state authorities to date. This mandate becomes a requirement with the amendment of Directive 89/552/EEC.