NBTC on lookout for illegal broadcasts
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The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will step up its efforts to prevent the illegal broadcast of digital terrestrial TV programmes, said commissioner Thawatchai Jittrapanun.
NBTC deputy secretary-general Prasert Apipunya said the watchdog was closely monitoring the situation.
Yesterday, Thawatchai and fellow commissioner Taweesak Ngamsanga jointly held a news conference to reveal that on Thursday, NBTC officials joined with the Crime Suppression Division of the Royal Thai Police to seize the broadcasting equipment of Thai TV. TTV had allegedly aired digital TV programmes from the Baiyoke II building in Bangkok in breach of the Radio Communications Act.
The NBTC office alleged that the station had installed and utilised such equipment without permission. It forwarded the case for further investigation by police.
The commission intends to grant licences for digital terrestrial TV this year and will join with the broadcasters to test-launch digital services. It still needs to decide which of the global standards – European, Chinese or Japanese – it will use in the trial to select compatible set-top boxes to receive the digital signals.
The NBTC’s master plans for spectrum management, telecommunications and broadcasting took effect last month. The spectrum plan says the commission will start the process of switching the radio and TV broadcasting industry from analogue to digital within four years.
