Group presses NBTC over digital TV voucher scheme

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DIGITAL TV
Group presses NBTC over digital TV voucher scheme
Usanee Mongkolporn,
Watchiranont Thongtep
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A LOBBY group is pressing the broadcasting regulator to address problems related to the subsidy programme for digital TV receivers.

However, the National Broadcasting and Telecom-munications Commission (NBTC) is considering ending the coupon project after only 14.1 million households have received them, out of the 22 million originally planned, since it has faced a number of obstacles.

Yesterday, representatives from the newly formed "Club of Manufacturers and Distributors of Digital Terrestrial TV Receivers" lodged a notice with the NBTC for help with the problem of too few vouchers being redeemed, and too few receivers being sold.

The club consists of seven major manufacturers and distributors of the receivers: Createch Marketing and Trading, Samart Engineering, Family Corporation, Hifi Orient Thai, Forth Corporation, Crown Tech Advance and Soken Electronics (Thailand).

Varin Thiemjarat, legal adviser of the club, said his group had given the NBTC seven days to find a way speed up the remaining redemptions. If there is no improvement, they will take legal action against the broadcasting regulator either through the Central Administrative Court or the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

In addition to this request, the club wants to see more progress in the transition from analog to digital television broadcasting. A public relations campaign to promote digital TV must be put in place as soon as possible to help people understand the new broadcasting system and encourage them to use digital TV receivers.

Slow refunds

"Therefore, we want to set up a committee to work closely with the NBTC to tackle this issue, which has hit our business hard. We hope that the NBTC will keep its promises," said Somchai Pruangviriya, managing director of Family Corporation and the president of the club.

Club member Thawee Udomkitchok, managing director of Samart Engineering, said it wasn't just that consumers were failing to redeem their coupons, but the refund process from the vouchers was taking too long.

"So far, we have been paid only about Bt857 million, or 20-30 per cent of the total value of coupons that we submitted to Krungthai Bank for refunds. The refund process is taking too much time, and meanwhile we are waiting for the remaining Bt2 billion."

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said that despite facing a series of problems in the transition to digital, the commission had floated the idea of ending of the coupon project at only 14.1 million.

"We learned that only 4.52 million coupons, or 54 per cent of the 8.3 million distributed, have been redeemed, and the vouchers expire in July," said Takorn, who also serves as secretary of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Resources Development Fund for Public Interest (BITFP).

The budget prepared for the NBTC's subsidy scheme came partly out of revenue from the auction of digital-TV licences in late 2013. Each licence holder has to pay the licence fee in instalments over a six-year period.

Last year, the NBTC received the first instalment, totalling Bt11.162 billion, from the 24 digital TV channels. The BITFP board on Monday approved the transfer of Bt4.351 billion to the state. This is 40 per cent of the Bt11.6 billion paid by the digital TV operators.

Takorn said the remaining 60 per cent should be enough to cover the remaining voucher redemptions.

He said the NBTC office would continue to distribute another 5.4 million coupons to the targeted households on May 21 tomorrow, to reach a total of 14.1 million. If the NBTC needs more money for coupon redemption, it may use part of the second instalment of licence fees.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Group-presses-NBTC-over-digital-TV-voucher-scheme-30260486.html


-- The Nation 2015-05-20

[Srikcir]

Sounds like a job for ARTICLE 44.