No Billag

"No Billag"[1] was a popular initiative in Switzerland proposing abolishing the licence fee for public service radio and television, then known as Billag.[2] The referendum date was set to 4 March 2018.[2] The proposal led to months of debate.[3]

Map of cantonal results

Proponents of the initiative said it wasn't fair that everyone should have to pay the fee regardless of whether they consumed the media produced. They argued that the total yearly sum of 1.37 billion francs should be spent by consumers and that the SRG SSR would become more politically independent if it did not depend on the mandatory fee.[4][3]

Opponents of the initiative said that removing the mandatory fee would threaten national cohesion and that the country would become a "media desert" which would be dangerous to Switzerland's system of direct democracy.[4] A committee, "Nein zum Sendeschluss", was formed to oppose the initiative.[4] Opponents received support from 6000 artists who published an online statement "defending cultural diversity in Switzerland" and argued that cultural diversity would be threatened if the initiative passed.[2]

Polls suggested 65 percent would vote against the proposal.[5]

The result was that 71.6 percent rejected the initiative.[3]

References
  1. No Billag is the informal name under which it is widely known. The formal name of the initiative was "Ja zur Abschaffung der Radio- und Fernsehgebühren (Abschaffung der Billag-Gebühren)" in German, "Oui à la suppression des redevances radio et télévision (suppression des redevances Billag)" in French, and "Sì all'abolizione del canone radiotelevisivo (Abolizione del canone Billag)" in Italian.
  2. The Local. "Artists fight to keep public broadcasting licence fee", The Local, 8 January 2018.
  3. The Local. "Swiss referendum results: everything you need to know", The Local, 5 March 2018.
  4. George Mills. "'Scrapping compulsory TV licence fees would be dangerous for Switzerland's direct democracy'", The Local, 27 February 2018.
  5. The Local. "Referendum: Swiss set to stand behind embattled public broadcaster", The Local, 21 February 2018
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