Senate obliged to mull 'superboard' views
The power of the five-member "superboard" being tasked with monitoring performance of the National Broad-casting and Telecommunica-tions Commission lies in Article 22 of the 2010 Frequency Allocation Law.
While the superboard has no authority to dissolve the 11-member NBTC directly, its evaluation of the commission will be used by the Senate if the latter considers removing it.
The superboard was formed according to Article 70 of the frequency law. Its members’ term of office is three years and is non-renewable. Their role is to submit a yearly report to Parliament.
The superboard will have its own office and the monthly salary of each member has been set by the NBTC at Bt100,000.
Article 22 states that a vote by at least two-thirds of senators is needed to dissolve the NBTC. In considering such a dissolution, the Senate is obliged to consider the evaluation reports of the superboard.
The Senate on Tuesday finished selecting the five-member superboard and will make their appointments |official within 15 days, during which the members will convene to select a chairman.
Among the heavyweight candidates for chairman are General Thavatchai Samusakorn, 60, a special adviser to the Army and former commander of the Second Army Region, and General Boonyawat Kruehong, 59, a former director-general of the Defence Budget Office at the Defence Ministry.
A source said the chairman was expected to be from a military background to enable a “soldier to soldier” approach with NBTC chairman General Thares Punsri and vice chairmen Colonel Settapong Malisuwan and Colonel Natee Sukonrat.
