Brussels, 27/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - Broadcasting regulators from EU Member States, Croatia, Norway, Liechtenstein and Turkey met on 24 March to look at hate broadcasting on new media (digital and mobile TV, for example). The Commission claims that close cooperation among regulators has been used to safeguard European satellite TV viewers from programmes inciting hatred following the Al Manara affair (see EUROPE 8911). The meeting was chaired by EU Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. The regulators supported the Commission's proposal to launch a new EU Intranet Cooperation Forum as an effective means to implement their commitment to combat clear cases of incitement to hatred in broadcast and audiovisual media services whilst scrupulously respecting the Fundamental freedoms enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the need for judicial scrutiny of such interventions by broadcast regulators. European Broadcasting Regulators also discussed the modernisation of the TV without Frontiers Directive and the amendments, proposed by the European Commission, to step up the fight against incitement to hatred. The regulators agreed to deepen the discussion with respect to the issues of mobile TV and digital TV. The regulators underlined that licensing decisions remain a national prerogative, but indicated their readiness to discuss the mobile broadcasting licence issue with the Commission. Besides licensing procedures, the lack of a common spectrum allocation could become an obstacle to cross-border mobile services.