Thailand’s National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) sees illegal community radio as a security threat, prompting a need to regulate and control the stations. There are more than 5,000 community radio stations in the country and all are broadcasting without licences, said Col Natee Sukolrat, chairman of the NTC’s working group on community radio.
The stations fall into three categories: public service, community services, and for business. Col Natee said stations for business were in the majority. He said revised regulations of the Telecom Business Act empowered the NTC to appoint a subcommittee to issue licences to Type 2 or community service stations first. Other types were asked to register and operate on a trial basis while awaiting licences.
Col Natee said that as the broadcasting regulator did not yet exist yet, the NTC would do the job of issuing licences. He said the working group had a target to issue temporary licences to 100 community-service stations in the first year. A licence is valid for one year from the start of trial broadcasts. All community stations must to register with the NTC within 30 days after the revised regulations become effective.
The NTC board has endorsed the revised regulations and a public hearing will be held on May 11 before final approval is sought on May 20. Stations that fail to register with the NTC will be considered illegal. But although there is no law that allows the NTC to close illegal stations, they could face legal action for other offences.
Col Natee cited examples of stations that were shut during the Songkran political disturbances. “They have to clear themselves on several charges before they could be qualified for obtaining broadcasting licences,” he said.
The NTC plans to select 14 provincial operations as model stations to qualify for licences in the first year.
(Source: Bangkok Post)
