NBTC master plans 'go on Royal Gazette' today
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The spectrum-management and telecom and broadcasting master plans are expected to be published in the Royal Gazette today, National Broadcasting and Telecommuni-cations Commission secretary-general Takorn Tantasit said yesterday.
NBTC chairman Thares Punsri approved the final drafts of the three plans and put his signature to them yesterday.
The regulator needs the master plans to be in effect to enable it legally to auction new spectrum licences and further develop plans to liberalise the broadcasting and telecom industries.
Takorn said anyone opposing the plans would have the right to challenge them in the Central Administrative Court.
The NBTC board endorsed the final drafts of three master plans on March 21. The highlight of the plans is the periods within which state agencies have to return radio, television and telecom spectra that do not have an expiry date. They must be handed over to the NBTC for reallocation within five, 10 and 15 years respectively.
Those spectra under concessions will be returned once the concessions expire.
In a separate matter, Takorn said the NBTC office was coordinating with 16 members of the subcommittee assigned to scrutinise the legitimacy of CAT Telecom-True Corp deals on providing third-generation cellular service over the date they will convene for the first time. Thares signed off last Thursday on the panel’s creation.
A National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) subcommittee assigned to probe the deals is expected to reach a final conclusion tomorrow on whether they breach any laws or regulations.
The Information and Communi-cations Technology Ministry subcommittee assigned to probe the deals’ legitimacy recently concluded that there appeared to be irregularities in the ways they were drawn up. Its findings were sent to the NACC for further investigation.
