Digital TV association gives NBTC June 30 deadline for post-2029 roadmap

The Association of Digital Television Broadcasting (ADTEB), together with television operators, on Tuesday submitted a letter to Clinical Professor Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The letter was received by Pol Col Prawet Moonpramuk, secretary to the NBTC chairman.

The association called on the NBTC to perform its legal duties by issuing a master plan for the television industry after the expiry of licences in 2029.

Deaw Woratangtragoon, secretary of the Association of Digital Television Broadcasting, said operators had continuously submitted information, facts and policy proposals to the NBTC. They had also repeatedly called for the issue of the television master plan to be placed on the board’s meeting agenda.

However, no action has yet been taken and no clear direction has been announced, leaving operators unable to plan their long-term businesses.

The association said the period of less than three years remaining before the expiry of digital TV licences is a critical turning point for the television industry, a national medium that plays an important role in the country’s mass communication system.

The association’s key proposals to the NBTC include accelerating the preparation and announcement of a “master plan and roadmap for the television industry after 2029”. The plan should cover important issues such as the future licensing model, service structures across all platforms, fair competition rules, measures to protect the public’s right to access free TV services, and plans for technological and network transition.

The association also proposed that OTT services and digital platforms be regulated under standards and cost burdens equal to those faced by television operators under current law.

It called on the NBTC to set a clear timeframe for announcing the master plan, saying the process should be completed by June 30, 2026, so that all sectors can prepare properly.

The association said that if there is still no progress in considering the matter within the proposed timeframe, the delay could affect the digital TV industry and related stakeholders. The association and operators may therefore need to exercise their legal rights to ensure that the television industry’s transition proceeds smoothly and delivers the greatest long-term benefit to the public and the digital TV sector.

Pol Col Prawet Moonpramuk, secretary to the NBTC chairman, said after receiving the letter from the media professional organisations that the NBTC had included the digital TV roadmap as one of the early items on the agenda for its meeting today (May 26). However, the board would first consider an urgent agenda item relating to the FTA.

He insisted that the NBTC had not ignored the matter and that the master plan would definitely be considered and issued within the required timeframe. He added that the master plan must ensure fairness for media businesses, especially regarding auction starting prices, amid a changing global environment and the impact of war.

However, Nation TV reporters checked the agenda item referred to by Pol Col Prawet and found that the “digital TV roadmap” was listed as the 19th item for today’s meeting.

It remains to be seen whether the digital TV master plan will actually be completed today, as five months have passed since repeated assurances were given that the digital TV roadmap had been placed on every NBTC meeting agenda.