The 25-billion-baht digital TV subsidy coupon programme will be put to a public hearing before distribution starts in mid-September.
The state budget monitoring and scrutinising committee of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) gave the scheme a nod after it was put on hold on Monday.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission remains the project host, said NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith.
The public hearing will begin next week in four regions for 15 days and will end by July 15.
The NCPO ordered the public hearing because it will affect each Thai household. It will discuss every controversial issue related to subsidy coupons.
Among the issues to be debated is whether distribution of subsidy coupons or set-top boxes is better.
If the NBTC is interested in distributing set-top boxes, the scheme must be approved by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, as set-top box procurement is considered to be open to corruption.
Second, it will discuss coupon utilisation. Should the coupon be used to buy a TV set, a digital TV set-top box, satellite and cable TV set-top box, or pay TV subscription service?
The last issue is the appropriate voucher value — should it be 1,000 baht or 690 baht?
The voucher will be distributed along with digital TV network coverage, which is expected to cover more than 50% this year. The voucher is valid six months after the distribution date.
Mr Takorn said the NCPO agreed with the coupon scheme, whose objective is to support the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. But the project must run with transparency and satisfy the public.
The coupons will be distributed to 22.9 to 25 million households nationwide, and the funds will come from the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund for the Public Interest (BTFP).
The Consumer Protection Foundation (CPF) proposed to the NCPO that the coupon value should not exceed 690 baht, as its cost is about 500 baht.
Secretary-general Saree Ongsomwang said the CPF made a survey and found the cost of set-top box is 512 baht, not much different from the 475 baht quoted by RS Plc when it declared its set-top box cost when seeking compensation from the NBTC in exchange to broadcast all 64 World Cup matches on free TV.
"If the coupon value is 690 baht, the NBTC will pay only 12.5 billion baht, a big reduction from 25 billion planned earlier. It's better, and we can use some money to help students in need," she said.
Ms Saree also received complaints from consumers in Ayutthaya, Ratchaburi, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakarn, Nakhon Ratchasima and Bangkok that staff from set-top box providers and village heads asked for their ID cards before handing out digital TV coupons.
In a related development, the NCPO is drafting a regulation, expected to be announced soon, on the transfer of the BTFP's money from digital TV and broadcasting-related auctions to government coffers. If the value of the subsidy coupon scheme after the public hearing is lower than its earlier plan, the surplus must be transferred to state coffers as well.