NBTC looks to widen digital TV voucher scheme

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DIGITAL TV
NBTC looks to widen voucher scheme
Watchiranont Thongtep
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is planning to extend its digital-TV subsidy to 6.9 million more households to ensure universal access to the new broadcasting service.

Supinya Klangnarong, the commissioner responsible for consumer rights protection, said yesterday that her committee was also studying the possibility of providing a subsidy to the estimated 79,000 households in the less privileged group, including low-income earners and slum dwellers, to help them access digital terrestrial television.

It is difficult to define such a group so it may take some time to set up a subsidy scheme for them. It might take the form of on-site registration for eligible households, rather than the discount coupons being distributed to regular households.

Another group that the committee is considering is the 6.9 million new households included in the national census but without details on the members of those new households.

"If we find that those 6.9 million new residences can be eligible for this subsidy, the committee will add the group to the second phase of digital TV coupon distribution," she said.

In the second phase, the NBTC will distribute 4 million Bt690 vouchers to 21 more provinces next month to be used to purchase a digital TV receiver.

Early last month, the NBTC sent out the first 4.6 million vouchers to 21 provinces including Greater Bangkok.

About 650,000 coupons have been redeemed mainly for TV set-top boxes.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/NBTC-looks-to-widen-voucher-scheme-30246976.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-05