NBTC to introduce new regulations to ownership of broadcast businesses by foreign entities

[webfact]

NBTC to introduce new regulations to ownership of broadcast businesses by foreign entities

BANGKOK, 25 May 2016 (NNT) - The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is preparing to add new rules regarding ownership of broadcasting and television enterprises by foreign entities in order to reflect current market conditions.

The NBTC and the Fiscal Policy Research Institute Foundation held a seminar on ways to update laws pertaining to ownership of broadcast businesses by foreign entities in order to propose legislation to the NBTC commission.

The meeting revealed that the current mandate of a ratio between Thai and foreign shares of a company of 75 to 25 percent is insufficient in regulating an increasingly competitive market since the switch to digital broadcast technology. The meeting therefore agreed on more stringent qualifications for license applications as well as increased monitoring of shareholder composition. The proposals aim to reduce unfair advantages by larger corporations and allow smaller businesses to better compete in the industry.


-- NNT 2016-05-25

[loong]

The proposals aim to reduce unfair advantages by larger corporations and allow smaller businesses to better compete in the industry.

Are we meant to read this as

The proposals aim to reduce unfair advantages by well-run, efficient foreign corporations and allow Thai businesses to better compete in the industry.

[Emster23]

So much for encouraging investment in Thailand.... perhaps this has to do more with ability to make firms "toe the line" regarding content?

[Srikcir]

This article is at best a rough draft of a confused analysis.

It notes the current mandate (ie., by law) of the ratio between Thai and foreign shares of a company of 75 to 25 percent and somehow concludes this is the cause for insufficient regulation in an increasingly competitive market. It then switches to an unrelated topic that larger corporations have unfair competitive advantages by larger (Thai) corporations over smaller (Thai) businesses in the industry.

Maybe the intent is that that any foreign ownership in the Thai broadcast industry is a detriment to the State's control of the broadcast industry - a frequent issue raised by Prayut to control broadcast content. On the other hand it would seem that State control of broadcast content would be more efficient if all broadcast businesses were large and not fragmented into small businesses. But the issue of competitiveness between large and small broadcast businesses is not one of content control but of market demand.