July 24, 2012: “The must-carry rule will be used to guarantee Thais’ basic right to watch free-TV programmes via any platform such as antennas and cable and satellite receivers,” said Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission’s broadcasting committee.
The Department of Intellectual Property yesterday expressed concern that the rule would probably breach copyright laws.
Natee said cable and satellite TV receivers were considered as normal TV antennas for viewing free-to-air contents, namely international sports tournaments, movies, drama series and documentaries.
However, broadcasters must ensure that they can limit transmissions to within the country to avoid violating copyright restrictions.