FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1986
EXPLORING THE QUESTION OF ETHER THERE WOULD BE ONE OR MORE CABLE TELEVISION OPERATORS, HE SAID HONG KONG'S POPULATION DENSITY AND SIZE WAS PROBABLY BIG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT MORE THAN ONE OPERATOR.
+ IT MAY BE POSSIBLE, FOR EXAMPLE, TO OFFER A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT. REGIONAL FRANCHISES - ONE LICENCE FOR HONG KONG ISLAND,
▬▬
ONE FOR KOWLOON, ONE FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES.
+WITHIN EACH GEOGRAPHICAL AREA THE LICENSEE WOULD THEN BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LAYING CABLES AS WELL AS PROVIDING TELEVISION PROGRAMMES, HE SAID.
AS TO THE QUESTION OF WHETHER IT WAS DESIRABLE TO HAVE A MULTIPLICITY OF OPERATORS, MR SO SAID HE HAD MIXED FEELINGS ON THIS.
+ IT MAY BE ARUGED THAT, JUST AS COMPETITION BETWEEN THE OFF-AIR TELEVISION INDUSTRY AND CABLE TELEVISION WILL BENEFIT THE VIEWER, SO TOO WILL COMPETITION BETWEEN DIFFERENT CABLE TELEVISION OPERATORS.
+CERTAINLY, IN HONG KONG WE GENERALLY SHOW A HEALTHY DISTRUST OF MONOPOLIES AND HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT COMPETITION BETWEEN DIFFERENT PROVIDERS OF A SERVICE WORKS TO THE PUBLIC GOOD, RESULTING IN A BETTER SERVICE AND LOWER PRICES,+ HE SAID.
YET FOR CABLE TELEVISION, MR SO SAID HE SUSPECTED THAT THESE BENEFITS MIGHT PROVE TO BE MORE APPARENT THAN REAL.
+FOR A START, GIVEN THE DISRUPTION OF PHYSICALLY LAYING CABLES AND WIRING UP HOMES, IT WILL BE IMPRACTICAL TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE CABLE NETWORK AVAILABLE IN ANY ONE AREA.
+COMPETITION BETWEEN DIFFERENT CABLE OPERATORS IS CLEARLY GOING TO BE LIMITED IF EACH OPERATOR IS CONFINED TO HIS OWN DISTRICT AREA,+ HE SAID.
MORE IMPORTANT, MR SO ADDED, WAS THAT THE GOVERNMENT COULD NOT BE CERTAIN WHETHER THE COMPANIES WHO HAD EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN CABLE WOULD BE EQUALLY INTERESTED IN BIDDING FOR A FRANCHISE COVERING ONLY A SMALLER PORTION OF THE TERRITORY.
HE SAID SOME OF THE PROPOSALS RECEIVED ENVISAGED NOT ONLY CABLE TELEVISION BUT ALSO THE PROVISION OF A MAJOR INTERNAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK OF INTERACTIVE SERVICES. +THEY, AND THEIR INVESTORS, WILL PROBABLY BE LOOKING FOR A TERRITORY-WIDE FRANCHISE FOR THE LONG TERM. +
/HIGHLIGHTING OTHER