The Communications Commission of Georgia is the regulatory body whose mandate includes the supervision of electronic communications, media services, and video-sharing platform services. The Commission’s activities have a significant impact on the media environment and freedom of expression in Georgia. The term of office for Kakha Bekauri, who was elected as a member of the Commission in 2014 and served as Chairman since 2017, has expired. The election of a new Commission Chairman is scheduled for January 29 of this year.
During Kakha Bekauri’s chairmanship, a series of decisions made by the Communications Commission became the subject of criticism from media freedom and rights advocacy organizations. According to the Media Advocacy Coalition, during his chairmanship, the regulator made selective and disproportionate decisions against independent and critical media.
The expanded powers of the Communications Commission to supervise and sanction media activities were defined by legislative changes adopted by the Georgian Dream parliament, which substantially altered the regulator’s role in the media sphere and strengthened its sphere of influence.
Materials prepared by the Center for Media, Information and Social Research (CMIS) present the decisions and practices of the Communications Commission that have caused significant concern among local and international media watchdogs over the past two years, and were critically assessed for disregard of internationally recognized media freedom standards.
Through unsubstantiated changes to the Law on Broadcasting carried out via an expedited procedure, the Communications Commission’s authority to interfere in medias’ editorial policy has increased significantly.
● Amendments to the Law on Broadcasting were adopted by the Georgian Dream parliament on April 1, 2025. According to the amendment, foreign funding of broadcasters was completely prohibited, and the powers of the regulatory body – the Communications Commission, were significantly increased; specifically, the professional activities of journalists fell within the scope of regulation.
A) According to the amendments to the law, a broadcaster is prohibited from receiving direct or indirect funding from a so-called “foreign power” and the purchase of a broadcaster’s services by a “foreign power” is prohibited, except for advertising or product placement.
B) Broadcasters are also prohibited from receiving direct or indirect funding in exchange for placing social advertising.
C) The amendment also introduced detailed regulations regarding television and radio broadcasting standards, concerning proper factual accuracy and the right of reply. Additionally, regulations were added regarding fairness and impartiality of facts, the inviolability of private life, obtaining and transmitting information using covert methods, coverage of armed conflict, accidents, and other emergency situations, as well as specific issues regarding the protection of minors.
● On June 12, 2025, parliament passed the third reading of a legislative package that amended the Law on Broadcasting and added a new chapter to the Administrative Procedure Code. These changes granted even broader powers to the Communications Commission. More specifically, the Communications Commission can now request confidential information about broadcasters from banks through the court. According to the Media Advocacy Coalition, these changes are equivalent to granting the possibility of violating banking confidentiality and represent a “new tool for financial pressure and blackmail against the media.”
Actions taken by the Communications Commission against the background of the adopted amendments to the Law on Broadcasting:
1. On January 22, 2026, the Communications Commission issued a written warning to Radio Marneuli for receiving a grant. The Commission made the decision based on the repressive amendment to the Law on Broadcasting that prohibits media outlets from receiving grants from donor organizations.
2. “Radio Marneuli” also received a written warning from the Communications Commission on October 9, 2025, for the same reason r- eceiving a grant from a “foreign power.”
3. On October 9, 2025, the Communications Commission issued written warnings to the TV broadcasters Formula and Formula Multimedia and ordered them to cease the violation of the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting and the receipt of funding from a “foreign power.”
4. On October 9, 2025, the Communications Commission ordered Radio-TV Nor to cease receiving funding from a “foreign power.”
5. On October 9, 2025, the Communications Commission issued a written warning to Sistema Gamma. They were ordered to cease the violation of the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting and the receipt of funding from a “foreign power.”
6. On July 3, 2025, the Communications Commission recognized TV companies TV Pirveli, Mtavari Arkhi, and Formula as lawbreakers based on a complaint by Georgian Dream.
The party sued the television stations for using terms such as: “illegitimate parliament,” “oligarch’s regime,” “prisoners of the regime,” “illegitimate government,” “clan court,” etc.
Decisions made by the Communications Commission against independent media prior to the amendments to the Law on Broadcasting, before the 2024 parliamentary elections , documented by the Center for Media, Information and Social Research:
1. On October 13, 2024, the Tbilisi City Court fined the TV company Formula 5,000 GEL for granting qualified election subject status to the opposition party Gakharia for Georgia and airing the party’s video clip. The court made this decision based on a protocol from the Communications Commission, which the Commission drew up against the TV company on October 10. TV Formula relied on Edison Research data, where the Gakharia for Georgia party had more than 4% support. The regulatory commission demanded that the TV company verify the research results. According to the Media Advocacy Coalition, the decision was evidence of systemic bias that “threatens political pluralism and represents an attempt to punish the media before the elections.”
2. On October 11, 2024, the City Court fined the TV companies Formula,TV Pirveli, and Mtavari Arkhi 5,000 GEL each for not airing the ruling party’s election advertisement. The court’s decision was preceded by a conclusion from the Communications Commission. Georgian Dream demanded that stations air its political advertisement — “No to War, Choose Peace.” On October 9, the Communications Commission recognized the television stations as lawbreakers. In a statement, the Commission pointed out that the Georgian Dream video contained neither war propaganda nor calls for strife and enmity, which the broadcasters had emphasized.
