Licences for cable, satellite TV operators

The NBTC is expected to have the regulations for granting broadcasting licences for network providers, network facility providers, and service providers published in the Royal Gazette next month, said Pasu Srihiran, the commission’s acting executive director of broadcasting resource management and research bureau.
The network-provider, or “multiplexer”, licence is for those operating a network for beaming television programmes to homes, while the facility licence is for those providing basic infrastructure such as transmission networks, and the service-provider licence is for operating a TV channel.
He added that such companies as PSI Holdings, GMM Grammy, RS, Cable Thai Holding and TrueVisions could apply for these licences but only for their cable and satellite TV businesses.
The NBTC is expected to grant network-provider licences for those businesses that use spectra in December, pending its development of the regulations for this segment. It is expected to award licences for provision of terrestrial digital TV programmes in February, pending the regulations on programme arrangement and for auctioning of the digital-TV spectra. Those wanting to broadcast on the digital TV system will be required to bid for a spectrum on which to offer service.
The NBTC is expected to award only five licences for broadcasting network providers that use spectra. The digital TV system will be based on ultra-high frequency (UHF) and can be divided into about 50 channels.
The rate for determining the fees for all licences will be the same, 2 per cent of the applicant’s gross annual revenue. Licence holders will also have to pay another 2 per cent of revenue to the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund. The licence term is 15 years.
In a separate matter, the NBTC is moving ahead as planned to auction the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum for third-generation cellular service on October 16.
The Central Administrative Court recently dropped the cases brought by CAT Telecom and TOT against the plan of the National Telecommunications Commission to auction the spectrum in 2010.
The NTC was the NBTC’s predecessor. Both state telecom agencies sought a court order to terminate the NTC regulations to auction the spectrum in 2010, which prompted the court to issue an injunction to suspend the auction on September 16 that year. On September 7 of this year, the NBTC asked the court to drop the cases.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit said yesterday that the dismissal of the cases would clear away any worries that some might raise this issue against the October 16 auction.
Takorn added that the watchdog would spend no more than Bt30 million on activities related to the auction. Of that amount, Bt14.1 million was paid to auction consultant Power Auction, and Bt7 million on holding the 3G countdown event last week.