provision of such facilities by joint
effort and co-operation by the owners of
television sets in a building would be
difficult to achieve, particularly in the
very large multi-occupation residential
buildings. However, ADS systems,
unknown in Hong Kong in 1957 when the
RTV licence was granted, are necessary
for the effective reception of TVB programmes
Certain
in many areas of the Colony. Accordingly
unwillingness on the part of RTV to provide
a service to a block of flats or
apartment building could greatly impede
the spread of wireless television in the
Colony and the dissemination of TVB
programmes. An undertaking by RTV to
satisfy each and every application for
the facility could not be relied upon
to ensure an imimpeded service for those
who required it since, with its
monopoly position, the company could
frustrate the undertaking by imposing
delays or conditions or by quoting
inflated charges, etc. In 1967 the
Hong Kong Government decided that on
grounds of public policy competition
from wireless television was desirable.
It is clearly in the public interest to
*
ensure that such competition is reasonably
free and unfettered; this requires that
the monopoly of ADS aerial systems granted
to RTV, one of the competing organisations,
should be withdrawn.
35. In view of the statutory power of
the Hong Kong Government to cancel RTV's
licence on grounds of public interest,
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