Complaint regulations out mid-year
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is expected to announce in the middle of the year regulations on receiving and considering consumers' complaints regarding radio and TV broadcasting.
Its broadcasting consumer protection subcommittee, which was appointed in December, convened for the first time on Tuesday to focus on the plan to draft the regulations.
NBTC commissioner Supinya Klangnarong said the watchdog expected to be able to put the regulations to a hearing in March or April and put them into effect midyear.
Subcommittee chairman Suwanna Jitprapas said promoting the strength of consumer groups was key to the protection effort.
The NBTC says 457 complaints or recommendations regarding the broadcasting sector were lodged at the commission from both the private and public sectors from February to November last year. Of the total, 286 concerned radio and the rest television.
Most of the complaints were about signal interference among community radio stations, followed by complaints about TV content.
The NBTC received 24 more complaints or recommendations in December and January.
The commission will hold a public hearing today (Thurs) on its telecom, broadcasting and spectrum-management master plans, with the focus on consumer protection.
