The universal service obligation (USO) fund’s committee has proposed that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) provide financial support to help 26 cable TV operators lower their financial burdens caused by the must-carry rule.
Its proposal, which is pending final approval by the regulator, is intended to provide an annual 470-million- baht budget for three years to help cable TV operators.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said the USO fund committee’s proposal is reasonable, as the move is aimed at reducing the cable TV operators’ expenses caused by the implementation of the must-carry rule.
Under the must-carry rule, cable TV operators are required to carry all 24 digital TV channels on their platforms.
The proposal comes as several cable and satellite TV operators have complained that the broadcasting regulator is not concerned enough about the survival of their businesses and have limited access to the USO fund.
Initially, the cable TV operator proposed using the USO fund to help provide them up to 884.5 million baht per year. But the fund committee viewed that amount as too high, and slashed the budget down to 470 million per year, said Mr Takorn.
The USO fund’s proposal to help the cable TV operators is part of the major financial relief scheme approved by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who exercised his power to use Section 44 of the interim constitution to help digital and cable TV operators in December last year.
Under the relief scheme, digital TV operators were given breathing space to survive by getting a delay for auction fee payments and a reduction of annual fees.