NBTC beginning process of reclaiming radio, TV
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The National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission is expected to examine state agencies' radio and analog TV concession contracts in April as it prepares to reclaim their spectra for reallocation.
Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee, said that tomorrow the watchdog would hold a focus group with these state agencies – including the Royal Army, MCOT, the Public Relations Department (PRD) and universities – to brainstorm on the draft regulations for return of the spectra.
The focus group will give them a chance to voice their needs and concerns before the regulations come into effect early next month, he said.
Prasert Apipunya, deputy secretary-general of the NBTC, said the state agencies must declare their needs to hold and use spectra for operating existing TV channels and radio stations within the next three months. The NBTC will examine their concession contracts.
This draft regulation will be part of the 2010 Frequency Allocation Law and the current NBTC spectrum-management master plan. The master plan says the state agencies must return for reallocation their spectra once their concession terms expire. In the cases of spectra without an expiry date, radio spectra must be returned to the NBTC within five years and TV spectra within 10 years.
Currently, there are 525 AM and FM radio stations across the country, besides the 7,000 registered community radio stations.
The state units operating radio stations are the PRD with 148 (60 AM and 88 FM), the Army with 127 (78 AM and 49 FM), MCOT with 62 (two AM and 60 FM), the National Police with 44 (seven AM and 37 FM) and the Air Force with 36 (18 AM and 18 FM stations).
The state units running television stations include the PRD with National Broadcasting Television (NBT), the Army with terrestrial TV5 and satellite Thai Global Network (TGN), and the Education Ministry with Education TV. The Army has also granted a concession to Bangkok Entertainment Television to operate terrestrial Channel 7.
MCOT operates its own television station called Modernine TV and has granted concessions to Bangkok Entertainment Co for free-to-air ThaiTV3 and to TrueVisions for subscription-based TV.
