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Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic Annual Report 2001
10
of a dominant position, as it restricts potential rivalry in competition with the services already existed
and provided. Such a behaviour results in unnatural maintaining of the existed stage of „competition“
and it prevents its development.
Consumers’ complaints – cable television
In the course of 2001 the Office received several consumers’ complaints against undertakings
providing television and radio broadcast retransmission services by means of cable network.
Consumers’ complaints contained mainly objections against the application of inappropriate prices for
the services provided. The complaints in question concerned an area where prices for the provision of
services had been regulated by the respective regulator and therefore to investigate whether the
undertaking had violated the pricing discipline, i.e. whether the price for the provision of television and
radio broadcast retransmission services by means of a cable network had been appropriate was not
within Office’s powers. In line with the above, the said consumers’ complaints against the activities of
“cable TV” providers which might have led to the restriction of consumer rights were redirected to the
Telecommunication Office of SR, the task of which is to inspect the observance of duties and
conditions set out in the Act on Telecommunications. Pursuant to this act, the regulation and inspection
of telecommunication service providers and telecommunication network operators was entrusted to
this regulatory body, the task of which is to create conditions for forming and maintaining competition
environment in the telecommunications market, as well as to assure the fulfilment of requirements for
carrying out telecommunications activities.
CONTROL OF CONCENTRATIONS
The connection of previously independent undertakings, for example by purchase of stocks, by
purchase of assets, by amalgamation, etc. is very usual in economy. This step usually means the
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