High penetration key to licence priority: NBTC
Television network providers committed to achieving the highest penetration rate in the first year will be the first to win digital terrestrial broadcasting licences from the National Broadcasting and Telecom-munication Commission.
According to the NBTC’s regulations on licensing for network providers and spectrum holders for broadcast of digital terrestrial television, after obtaining a network licence, a provider must cover at least 50 per cent of total households within the first year. Then, the coverage ratio must be expanded to 80 per cent in the second year, 90 per cent in the third and 95 per cent in the fourth. In addition, transmissions in municipal areas must be available for portable indoor reception.
However, Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee, said yesterday that priority would be given to broadcasters willing to exceed that 50-per-cent level in the first year.
“If a licence applicant commits to covering more than 50 per cent of total households, say at least 70 per cent, in the first year of operation, we are inclined to consider licensing it first,” he said. Technically there should be only five multiplexers or network providers for the digital terrestrial TV service and a separate one for the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), he said. The NBTC’s first licence is expected to be issued by the middle of next year.
Earlier, the NBTC said it would prioritise such licences for government bodies and state enterprises which were already operating TV channels and held spectra before the implementation of the Radio and Television Broadcasting Business Act BE 2551 (2008).
Those organisations were the Royal Thai Army, the Public Rela-tions Department, MCOT and Thai PBS. RS chief operating officer Pornpan Techarungchaikul said this prioritisation idea could make it worthwhile for her company to bid for a licence to operate a digital terrestrial TV channel.
However, there are still issues to be resolved, such as the cost of the licence, she said. Licence fees are soon to be finalised by the NBTC.
Meanwhile, Supinya Klangna-rong, a member of the commission’s consumer protection committee, said the watchdog was planning to improve the effectiveness of the call centre at the NBTC Office; build a consumer-rights protection network; develop a media-literacy curriculum for educational institutes; and support local broadcasters |that offer special services for disabled persons.
