Rundfunkstaatsvertrag

The Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (English: Interstate Broadcasting Agreement), abbreviated as RStV, is the nationwide law for radio station and television licensing in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The full title of the law is Staatsvertrag für Rundfunk und Telemedien (English: State Treaty on Broadcasting Services and Telecommunication Media) but on most occasions it is called Rundfunkstaatsvertrag.

The first version was enacted on 1 December 1987 (signed on 3 April 1987) and the fifteenth revision of 30 October 2010 was expected to come into effect on 1 January 2013.

Some aspects were refined by the federal Telemediengesetz (TMG – English: Telecommunication Media Act) that is otherwise covering Internet services.

The Rundfunkstaatsvertrag is similar to the royal charter of the BBC however the licensing and financing model diverged over time.