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Russian Telecommunications Watchdog Prepares Legislative Amendments in Response to Ofcom's RT Move

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ofcom fined RT 200,000 pounds in late July for "serious failures" to comply with UK broadcasting rules, claiming it did not preserve "due impartiality" in seven shows broadcast between March and April 2018. RT said it was wrong to impose the fine without waiting for a court decision.

Russian telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor has prepared amendments to the national legislation in order to provide a tit-for-tat response to UK regulator Ofcom's move to slap RT broadcaster with a fine for allegedly violating impartiality rules, the agency's head, Alexander Zharov, said on Monday.

"The amendments are ready. At present, they are under discussion in other executive bodies. These are very small amendments ... If the aggressive policy of any regulator in the world in relation to the Russian media is applied unreasonably, then, of course, we will provide symmetrical response," Zharov said.

British communications regulator Ofcom announced its decision to introduce a 200,000-pound fine against RT for breaching broadcasting regulations on 26 July. ​

In December 2018, British authorities launched 7 investigations into the RT broadcaster amid calls for RT's license to be revoked in the country.

The British Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, claimed that the broadcaster broke the rules, "failing to preserve due impartiality" in 7 news programmes on the poisoning of ex-Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury as well as on the conflict in Syria, aired in March and April 2018.

RT has commented on the matter saying it was disappointed in the Ofcom ruling, adding that the regulator had ignored its arguments which raised doubts about the impartiality of the regulator itself. RT said in January that it would challenge the Ofcom ruling against it, noting all of its programmes were in line with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

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