The new broadcasting law comes into effect on January 1st 2013. The broadcasting fees will be replaced by a contribution and thus the GEZ (collection centre for radio and television licence fees) will be renamed into "ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice" (office for contribution to ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio).
Every household will be charged with a flat rate of 17.98 EUR/ month for all technical devices that are able to receive the programs provided by public-law broadcasting service (ARD, ZDF etc.). The new regulation does not differentiate between the number of technical devices the household possesses or whether these devices are used to received the public-law programs. The contribution equals the current maximum fee, which means that nothing changes for those who have already registered a TV set. This contribution implies the usage in vehicles.
The contribution is to be paid quarterly
