IRIB's recent announcement about issuing licenses for five companies to launch Internet Protocol Television by his respective organization sparked a series of reactions by other officials. In the most recent comment, Minister of Telecommunications Mahmoud Vaezi said IRIB can only regulate the content of its programs and providing services such as IPTV and Internet protocol media is beyond their purview.
He said this is because such services are dependent on communication networks, hence such a license can only be issued by the ministry, the Persian daily Iran reported. Vaezi said the government is the only authority to regulate the frequency spectrum and permissions to use this space is issued for organizations by the government upon request.
"No organization is allowed to give that space to a third party," he said.
In another comment, the deputy of Iran's regulatory organization, Sadeq Abbasi Shokouh, said only companies that obtained FCP or SERVCO licenses from the regulatory organization can provide IPTV services.
"The regulatory organization supervises the private networks of those companies," said Shokouh, adding that communication networks can provide their subscribers with the signal only if their license allows them to do so.
