4. The Telecommunications Act is amended by inserting, immediately after section 5A, the following section:
5B.
—(1) The Authority may, with the consent of or in accordance with the terms of a general authority given by the Minister, grant a licence for the use of any satellite orbital slot —
(a)
unconditionally or subject to such conditions as the Authority may impose and specify in the licence; and
(b)
irrevocably or subject to revocation as specified in the licence.
(2) A licence under subsection (1) —
(a)
may be granted to any person or class of persons, or to a particular person; and
(b)
may include (without prejudice to the power to impose conditions conferred by that subsection) conditions requiring —
(i)
the licensee to enter into agreements or arrangements with any person or class of persons, or with another telecommunication licensee, for coordination of radio frequencies;
(ii)
the payment to the Authority of a fee on the grant of the licence, of periodic fees during the currency of the licence, or of both, each fee being of such amount as may be determined by or under the licence;
(iii)
the licensee to comply with any direction given by the Authority as to such matters as are specified in the licence, or as are of a description specified in the licence;
(iv)
the licensee to comply with codes of practice and standards of performance that are applicable to the licensee; and
(v)
the licensee to do, or to refrain from doing, such things as are specified in the licence, or as are of a description specified in the licence.
(3) Any payment required by subsection (2)(b)(ii) to be rendered to the Authority may be recovered by the Authority in any court of competent jurisdiction as if the payment were a simple contract debt.
(4) No person shall question whether the grant of a licence under subsection (1) was, or was not, effected with the consent of or in accordance with the terms of a general authority given by the Minister, and the validity of a licence granted under that subsection shall not be impugned on the ground that it was granted neither with the consent of nor in accordance with the terms of a general authority given by the Minister.
(5) The grant of licences under this section shall be at the discretion of the Authority.
(6) Nothing in this section shall prevent the Minister from directing the Authority to grant a licence in any specific case.”.