In return for awarding a licence, the mandarins have felt obliged to keep the beneficiary in business.
London's new £4.2bn super sewer will cost customers less than expected, the water regulator has said, as it awarded a licence to start building the tunnel next year.
Among the mid-caps Betfair bounced 45p to 839.5p after announcing it had been awarded a licence to operate its betting exchange in Schleswig Holstein in Germany.
Virgin Radio was awarded a licence to operate – but on AM, which was by no means ideal when fighting for audience share with the major players on FM.
The payment – either in the form of a parent company guarantee for the larger companies or a straight advance – would have to be made once companies were awarded a licence to explore a block.
In 1974, when the country's civil society laws were in their infancy, the al-Islah Reform and Social Guidance Association became the second civil society organisation to be awarded a licence to operate by the ministry of labour and social affairs.
But imagine the furore if Widnes, who are red hot favourites to be the Championship club awarded a licence from 2012, had continued to struggle on the field, as they did last year.
Such worries were particularly acute this winter, the coldest for 30 years.Sighs of relief, then, on February 15th, when the Gateway Storage Company announced that it had been awarded a licence to build the first big new gas-storage facility in many years.
Contrary to Elstein's suggestions, it had no power to become involved in the ITC's decision to award a licence to Channel 5, with its commitment to 'uncut movies late at night', which, with respect, do not obviously translate into erotic material.
"In Swansea, much has been achieved in preparation for awarding a licence to a potential operator.
