NBTC Tto probe auction, force lower fees on 3g
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission will launch an inquiry into alleged bidding irregularities and require the three winners to offer low 3G service fees - to deflect growing public criticism of its 2.1GHz spectrum auction last wee
Pressure increased on telecom regulator Monday with Suriyasai Katasila, chief coordinator of the Green Politics group, petitioning the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Ombudsman to check if the 11 NBTC members designed the auction in a way that breached the State Bidding Act.
The NACC will consider on Thursday whether to accept the case. Suriyasai turned to the two organisations after the Central Administrative Court rejected his complaints earlier.
Senator Paiboon Nititawan, chairman of the Senate panel on counter-corruption and good governance, urged NBTC chairman Thares Punsri to call a NBTC meeting to void the auction results.
He cited Article 47 of the Constitution and Article 45 of the Frequency Allocation Law, saying only the 11-member NBTC could endorse the bid outcome, not its five-member telecom committee, which rushed to approve the results last week. If Thares would not call an NBTC meeting to do this, he and the five telecom panel members could face the risk of being charged with violating the anti-bidding collusion law.
Settapong Malisuwan, chairman of the telecom committee, said the NBTC would set up a fact-finding team and it would take 15 days to do the internal probe, but the commission was expected to grant licences to the winning companies in four weeks.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit said it was appropriate for the NBTC to use an intern
