★.•°♥Vianne Laurencia♥°•.★

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Ministry of Communications has issued a reminder to the public on the need to have a valid licence for the ownership of TVRO (commonly known as the "Parabola") in Brunei Darussalam. TVRO was first introduced into Brunei Darussalam in the 1990s and has remained one of the popular media for household entertainment.

However, not many are aware of the licences that come along with TVRO ownership under the Broadcasting Act (Chapter 180).

Recently, a dialogue was held at the Ministry of Communications with TVRO dealers to address the selling of TVRO equipment. The dialogue was chaired by Dato Paduka Haji Awang Alaihuddin bin POKDG Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Haji Mohd Taha, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications. The chairman highlighted that licenced TVRO dealers should only sell their equipments to valid TVRO licence holders.

Under Section 23 of the Broadcasting Act (Chapter 180), a licence is required for installing and owning TVRO equipment. The annual licence fee for public to own a TVRO equipment (FST) is $360 per unit, cafes and restaurants (FSR) $500 per unit and for apartments and hotels (FSC) $1,200 per unit.

The said TVRO licence can be applied at the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) on behalf of the Ministry of Communications.

Section 41 Broadcasting Act (Cap 180) states that unlicensed installation and operation of TVRO equipment will be subject to a fine up to $40,000 with two years imprisonment or both whereas equipment will be seized by the government.

The public is encouraged to obtain a valid licence to avoid getting penalised or caught for illegally owning TVRO equipment. The requirement to have a TVRO licence has been around since the 1990s, which was under the purview of Jabatan Telekom Brunei and later under the Prime Minister's Office, before it was transferred to the Ministry of Communications on May 21, 2008.

The Ministry of Communications will continuously monitor to ensure all TVRO equipment owners in Brunei Darussalam have a valid TVRO licence. The ministry advises all consumers to purchase TVRO equipment through local licenced dealers. -

The licence application forms are available at the AiTi Office and applicants must submit their completed forms as follows:

Licence Application Forms available at:
Customer Service Counter Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry Brunei Darussalam (AITI), Block 13 Simpang 32-5, Kg Anggerek Desa, Jalan Berakas, BB3717, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
www.aiti.gov.bn.
Tel: +673 232 3232
Email: info@aiti.gov.bn.

Annual TVRO Ownership Licensing Fees:
Personal (FST): $360.00 per unit
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