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Non-commercial and other special purpose broadcasters
- Successive governments have made conditional licences available on a case-by-case basis for non-commercial and special-purpose broadcast services without charge, in recognition that commercial licensing does not favour the provision of such services [CAB Min (01) 25/17 refers].
- The Seventh Schedule of the Radiocommunications Act 1989 gave specific broadcasters transitional entitlements to non-commercial licences, to allow existing broadcasters to continue under the new regulatory regime. These licences expire in 2011, although some have already been relinquished and replaced with non-commercial licences on a case-by-case basis.
- It is recommended that Cabinet agree that expiring licences for community and access, student and educational, Pacific, other special purpose services, community extension (where no other radio service is available), and Radiocommunications Act Seventh Schedule broadcasters should in principle be replaceable with appropriate conditions at no charge, subject to Ministerial approval on a case-by-case basis.
- It is recommended that the case-by-case assessment take into account relevant Government policies and decisions, and whether the broadcaster has other means of broadcasting to the area concerned. The appropriateness of offering community extension licences currently held by a broadcaster to community organisations instead, which may then choose to use them for different broadcast services, should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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Last updated 4 April 2008
