broadcasting rules soon

Suranan Wongvithayakamjorn, secretary-general of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), said yesterday that the panel had now set up four special working groups to focus on the matter.

The first three groups will draw up regulations governing licensing and determine the licence fees for all existing TV and radio broadcasters, community radio operators and cable-TV businesses, respectively.

The fourth panel will focus on the complaints of the broadcasting business and consumers.

Article 90 of the Broadcasting Act 2008 requires the NTC to oversee the industry pending establishment of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

During the transitional period, the NTC will grant licences valid for only one year to community radio stations and cable-TV operators and will supervise their operations.

The NTC will set their programming ratios, review programming plans and monitor radio-transmission power to prevent jamming of frequencies.