BANGKOK, 9 September 2013 The Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defense, the National Intelligence Agency and the Royal Thai Police are likely to win national security digital TV channels, according to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
NBTC Chairman Col. Nathee Sukonrat said the commission’s meeting on Monday approved the criteria for operators of digital TV channels 8 and 9 set to broadcast national security-related programs. The meeting also allowed the channels to air commercials for ten minutes an hour or an average of no more than eight minutes an hour a day.
Public hearings on the national security digital TV channels will likely take place in October this year while license issuance and broadcasting are expected in the second quarter of 2014.
The NBTC chairman also pointed out that the commission would give more weight to other national security agencies than the Royal Thai Army as the latter was already operating Channel 5.
