Parliament to be first digital public broadcaster
Parliament will likely become the country's first broadcaster of public digital terrestrial TV, according to the head of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commis-sion's broadcasting committee.
Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the panel, said yesterday that it had approved in principle setting up a focus group on the draft information memorandum (IM) inviting potential broadcaster to participate in the “beauty contest” for Category 3 of the upcoming public TV system.
This category involves government relations and promotion of parliamentary democracy.
The draft includes assigned spectra for public TV service, the method of applying for a licence, qualifications of licence applicants, the selection process, and licence terms, fees and conditions. But it appears that there are no specific details on each criterion. Natee said the committee opted to use this IM instead of implementing specific rules on the beauty contest because general rules already in place were sufficient for selecting qualified operators of digital TV channels for all purposes.
He believes that Parliament will be the country’s first public broadcaster to use the digital terrestrial TV platform because Parliament House already operates the “Parliament TV” satellite channel to televise key sessions of the National Assembly.
The committee will approve the draft after the focus group completes its review, and then it will invite applicants via the IM within 30 days. The Parliament TV channel is expected to take to the airwaves by October.
Taweekiat Chaovalitthawil, deputy secretary-general of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, said Parliament’s TV station had earmarked Bt1
billion for a four-year investment in a new public digital-TV channel. The sum would be used for content development and high-definition technology both at the station’s current offices in the Parliament compound and at its facilities in the new Parliament building.
“Besides televising the National Assembly and key meetings with a combined 1,000 hours of coverage a year, the TV station will produce its own programming. Our model is the BBC Parliament channel,” Taweekiat said.
