Regulator again votes against action in NMG shareholding row

 

News Network Corporation (NEWS), formally known as Solution Corner (1998) or SLC, owns a digital TV news station, Springnews TV. It now also owns 12.27 per cent of NMG, which wholly owns another digital news TV channel, Nation TV.

However, under the rules governing the auction of digital TV licences, a major shareholder was not allowed to hold more than 10 per cent of other companies in the same licence category. “Major shareholder” is not only defined as a person or juristic person allowed to have ownership of not more than 10 per cent of the company, but also mutual beneficiaries.

Thawatchai Jittrapanun, member of the Broadcasting Committee at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), said its broadcasting committee voted yesterday the same way it did in March on this issue – two supporting enforcement of the auction rules on NEWS, one against, and two abstaining. So the committee could not take any action on the case.

Colonel Natee Sukonrat, who serves as chairman of the committee, and Pol Colonel Thaweesak Ngamsanga abstained on the grounds that the auction rules should be not enforced after the fact.

Lt-General Peerapong Manakit voted at yesterday’s meeting against applying the rules against NEWS.

Supinya Klangnarong and Thawatchai Jittrapanun both voted that the rules must remain in place in order to prevent media hegemony by cross-shareholding in the same licence category.

Yesterday’s decision was made on behalf of all 10 members of the NBTC, after the members of its telecom committee agreed that full authority on this issue lay with the broadcasting committee. Under Article 27(17) of the Frequency Allocation Act, the authority to determine whether mergers or acquisitions could result in domination of the broadcasting business to the detriment of people’s freedom to access news and information lies with the NBTC.