Decision No.1448/QD-TTg of August 19, 2013, approving the master plan on development of radio and television services of Vietnam by 2020

DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON DEVELOPMENT OF RADIO AND TELEVISION SERVICES OF VIETNAM BY 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on organizations of Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on press dated December 28, 1989, and the amending Law on press dated June 12, 1999;

Pursuant to the Law on telecommunication dated November 23, 2009;

Pursuant to the Law on radio frequencies dated November 23, 2009;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 51/2002/ND-CP, dated April 26, 2002, detailing implementation of Law on press, and the Law on amending and supplementing a number of Articles of the law on press;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 25/2011/ND-CP, dated April 06, 2011, detailing and guiding implementation of a number of Articles of Law on telecommunication;

Pursuant to Decision No. 22/2009/QD-TTg dated February 16, 2009, of the Prime Minister, approving the up-to-2020 planning for radio and television wave transmission and broadcasting of Vietnam; 

Pursuant to Decision No. 2451/QD-TTg dated December 27, 2011, of the Prime Minister, approving the scheme for digitization of terrestrial television transmission and broadcasting by 2020;

Pursuant to Decision No. 32/2012/QD-TTg dated July 27, 2012, of the Prime Minister, approving the plan for developing national telecommunications until 2020;

At the proposal of the Minister of Information and Communications,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the master plan on development of the radio and television services of Vietnam by 2020 with the following principal contents:

I. OBJECTIVES

1. To develop the promotion radio and television services which are broadcast nationwide with the aim to all people have easy access to the radio and television channels serving essential tasks on politics, information provision and propagation of nation and localities, meeting requirement of implementing the tasks of politics, information provision and propagation of the Party and State.

2. To conduct sustainable development of television service market with charge payment, ensure a healthy, equal and antitrust competition, so as to mobilize social resources contributing in serve of tasks on politics, information provision and propagation, and meet the healthy and increasingly diverse entertainment demand of people.  To orientate and encourage people to use types of television services replacing the television services similar to terrestrial radio, contribute in successful implementation of the Scheme for digitization of terrestrial television transmission and broadcasting by 2020 approved by the Prime Minister at the Decision No. 2451/QD-TTg, dated December 27, 2011.

II. CRITERIA OF DEVELOPMENT

1. Content of services

a) From 2015, to supply stably 70 to 80 television channels serving essential tasks on politics, information provision and propagation of nation, regions and localities on system of suitable radio and television services under administrative areas and technical capability. In addition to, to ensure supply of about 40 to 50 specialized television channels of Vietnam for television with charge payment and television service with charge payment at request;

b) To ensure the rational rate and content structure of foreign television channels on system of television with charge payment according to each period.

2. Supply of services

a) To maintain the radio and television services of promotion similar to terrestrial radio, gradually change to digital technology according to the digitization roadmap already approved by the Prime Minister;

b) By 2015, there are about 30% to 40% of households nationwide using the television service with charge payment;

c) By 2020, there are about 60% to 70% of households nationwide using the television service with charge payment;

III. DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS

1. To develop the radio and television services on the basis of priority to serve tasks on politics, information provision, propagation, broadcasting formal information ensured accuracy and timeliness to all people, in association with provision of television services with charge payment, rich content, meeting demand of getting information and healthy entertainment of people.

2. To support development of the radio and television services of promotion and channels of essential radio and television programs; concurrently forming a radio and television service market with the charge payment, which has healthy competition under the market mechanism, stable development and modern technology, roadmap of completely turning to the digital radio and television by 2020, contents of programs will be rich and  strong with national identity; service quality will be increasingly high at conformable service prices.

3. To set up a competitive market of radio and television services.  To define mechanism and policy in conformity with each type of television service to form a rational quantity and scale of enterprises supplying service, and ensure both the antitrust target and target to have enterprises with full capacity to master the domestic market and reach out international market, in orientations:

a) The television services similar to the terrestrial radio will not be developed more and gradually restrained under the roadmap for digitization of terrestrial television transmission and broadcasting already approved by the Prime Minister at the Decision No. 2451/QD-TTg, dated December 27, 2011;

b) Enterprises of cable television with similar technology will be re-arranged in direction of reducing quantity and increasing quality of service and business efficiency;

c) To prioritize the license for enterprises take advantage of or share the transmission infrastructure which have been invested in construction in conformity with the master plan on development of national telecommunication and plan on radio frequency spectrum to supply the radio and television services, especially digital cable television, IPTV television service, direct television service via satellite, mobile television service.  

d) To prioritize the license for enterprises have commitments on investment to supply service on wide scope, service of digital television or have clear and feasible roadmap commitments about completely turning to the digital television service in accordance with regulation of State when combining use of both digital technology and similar technology. Do not license for wire/cable or similar television at 05 central affiliated cities.

4. To implement synchronous and rational development of types of the radio and television services in principle of neutrality on technology. To encourage application of advanced technologies in conformity with the promulgated standards and technical regulations, and development tendency on the world to expand scope of provision, increase quality, and decrease service prices, especially for people in mountainous, highland, border and island areas.   

IV. SOLUTIONS

1. Solutions on information provision and propagation

To step up information provision and propagation about the master plan on the radio and television service development of Vietnam to all levels, Ministries, sectors, localities and enterprises with the aim to increase and unify awareness of entire society during carrying out this master plan.

2. Solutions on completing mechanism and law

a) To formulate and promulgate legal documents on supply, management and use of radio and television services;

b) To formulate and change standards and regulations on radio and television services in conformity with development of Vietnam and international common practices;

c) To formulate a Government’s Decree on management, supply and use of radio and television services.

3. Solutions on increasing the service quality

a) To strengthen activities of calibration, certification of regulation conformity, announcement of regulation conformity for equipment serving the supply and use of radio and television services and management of radio and television service quality under standards and technical regulations;

b) To carry out digitization of transmission, broadcasting and provision of digital television service in conformity with conditions of regions, areas and income of people;

c) To encourage exchange and share the television copyright of units supplying content and units supplying television services for increasing quality of television service with charge payment.

4. Solutions on mobilizing investment capital

a) For services of radio, promotion television, channels serving essential tasks on politics, information provision and propagation of state, to prioritize use of capital from state budget, capital from aid and foreign concessional loans and other lawful capital sources.

b) For the radio and television services with charge payment using capital sources mobilized from enterprises and community;

c) To apply incentive policies of finance and tax for units producing equipment and investing in business in digital technology television services as prescribed in Law on technology transfer and Law on high technology.

5. Solutions on training and retraining human resource

To push up the training and retraining managers, technicians, skilled employees to meet requirement on high-technology application in provision of radio and television services.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. The Ministry of Information and Communications

a) To organize implementation and monitor implementation of the master plan, base on situation of national economic development, submit to the Prime Minister about contents which need be updated, revised to the master plan for conformity;  

b) To be responsible for carrying out and monitoring implementation of solutions prescribed in Clause 2 part IV Article 1 of this Decision; 

c) To preside over formulation of the Government’s Decree on management, supply and use of radio and television services;

d) To preside over formulation of regulations, mechanism, policies on management of charges, promotions of units providing the radio and television services with charge payment;

e) To preside over formulation of the mechanism to control the economic concentration of units supplying the television services with charge payment in conformity with law on competition.

2. The Ministry of Finance

a) To coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in formulating regulations, mechanism, policies on method to define prices of units providing the radio and television services with charge payment;

b) To coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in formulating regulations, mechanism, policies on support for provision of the promotion radio and television services and channels of essential programs.

3. The Ministry of Industry and Trade

To coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Finance in formulating the mechanism to control competition, especially the economic concentration of units supplying the television services with charge payment in conformity with law on competition.

4. Units supplying the radio and television services

a) To carry out projects supplying the promotion radio and television services under the plan to supply the channels of essential programs and promotion radio and television programs for all people, contribute in assurance of national defense and security and increase the life quality of people;

b) To formulate, change the operational model of units supplying the television service with charge payment in accordance with law, in order to supply the television service with charge payment satisfying the diverse demand of people.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of Governmental agencies, chairpersons of People’s Committee of provinces and central affiliated cities, chairpersons of Members' Council, general directors or directors of business groups, enterprises and relevant units shall implement this Decision.