According to FICORA director Anssi Laakso, hundreds of new applications have poured in daily via internet and telephone.
On Tuesday Rauni Hagman, the director-general of FICORA, said basic information concerning payments of the fee could be made public. However, she said it was unsure whether other information, such as who has been caught not paying the fee, could be disclosed.
Ministerial Flap in Sweden The move follows controversy in neighbouring Sweden over government ministers who failed to pay the mandatory fee. In the week since the scandal emerged, more than 1,000 people in Sweden have paid their TV licence fees for the first time. As in all European Union countries, each household that receives TV broadcasts in Finland is required to pay an annual TV fee of just over 200 euros. The funds collected go to the budget of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE), which is currently struggling with a large budget deficit. Anyone who fails to pay can be fined 100 euros plus a double television fee retrospectively for up to one year. YLE Radio News, YLE TV News, YLE24