TrueVision facing fine over NBTC snub

"TrueVisions Group is the only provider of a cable/satellite TV network that still ignores this rule," Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, said yesterday.

He said the NTBC would submit a report on whether local cable and satellite TV providers had complied with broadcasting regulations after the Central Administrative Court this month rejected petitions lodged by leading providers including TrueVisions for a temporary injunction against the rules.

TrueVisions, PSI Holdings, the Big4 Satellite Group, AB TV and Charoen Cable TV had filed a lawsuit calling for the revocation of the rules.

After the court’s verdict, cable and satellite TV providers must reserve channel numbers 1 to 36 for digital terrestrial stations. The same rule applies to digital TV receivers.

In line with the report, NBTC acting deputy secretary-general Sombat Leelapata said his team would work on further details before issuing an official letter to warn TrueVisions about the penalty.

"We expect that all details will be submitted to the NBTC’s broadcasting committee for it to make a decision and issue an official order next Monday," he said.

Sombat said that if TrueVisions failed to follow the rules, it would face a daily fine ranging from Bt20,000 to Bt5 million, the suspension of its licence or revocation of its licence.

He said the NBTC issued the administrative order to rearrange digital TV channels to set a single standard across all platforms.

In a separate matter, the broadcasting committee yesterday voted 3-2 to reject an amendment to the "must have" draft regulations.

The regulations make it mandatory for holders of broadcasting rights to seven sports events – from the Olympics to the soccer World Cup – to air all of them on free-TV channels and their own platforms.