Koncesje na rozpowszechnianie programów radiowych i telewizyjnych w świetle wolności konstytucyjnych

The right of every person to obtain information, guaranteed by Article 54 Section 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, is realized mainly through media. In order to carry out these tasks, the media need to have guaranteed, and not just confirmed by the above mentioned regulation, freedom of speech, but also the freedom to perform activities, through which they will be able to distribute information. Such guarantees can be found in Article 14 of the Constitution, whereas the ban on preventive censorship and press licensing, expressed in Article 54 Section 2 of the Constitution is a detailed guarantee of the freedom to conduct business by the media. This regulation, however, stipulates that an act of parliament may introduce an obligation to obtain a prior license to run a radio or TV station. Administrative decisions in this matter are included mainly in Chapter 5 of the Broadcasting Act, titled "Licences to broadcast programmes", (Art.33-40b). It is also necessary to point to the fact that radio and TV programme broadcast takes place within the frames of running a business activity. However, according to Article 46 Section 1 Point 5 of the Act on the Freedom to Perform a Business Activity, running a business activity in the area of broadcasting radio and TV programmes requires to obtain a license, while the detailed range and conditions of running a business activity subject to licensing are regulated by other acts of parliament. According to Article 22 of the Constitution, “limiting the freedom to run a business activity is only acceptable by means of an act of parliament and only due to an important public interest.”