New TV net for Thailand.

This month, the Thai government will submit a bill to the National Legislative Assembly to turn financially ailing independent TV station Thailand Independent Television (TITV) into a public broadcaster.

The proposed public broadcaster would be commercial-free, relying on tax revenue or annual appropriations, and public donations. Its editorial content would include news, documentaries, edutainment and dramas.

To ensure its independence, state officials will be barred from sitting on any of the broadcaster's four committees--a policy committee, an editorial committee, citizen's committee and management committee. Although it's unlikely that prime minister Surayud Chulanont's government will seek to interfere with operations, there's no assurance that future governments won't seek to exploit TITV for its political interests.

Despite strong editorial content, TITV, which was originally know as iTV, has not succeeded as an independent station. Once majority owned by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family, before being sold to Temasek Holdings of Singapore, the concession was returned to the government after being unable to pay enormous back fees and penalty fines.

Still in limbo is the future of commercial-free, non-profit state-owned TV station Channel 11. The government may soon have to decide if it's worth it for taxpayers to have two public broadcasters in Thailand.