'Superboard' ready to evaluate NBTC

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commissions efforts to protect subscribers of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co after their concessions end and its development of rules to grant licences for public digital TV are among issues on the agenda of the committee evaluating the NBTC’s performance.

The five-member committee chaired by General Tawatchai Samusakorn met the press for the first time yesterday, after their appointment by the Senate this month. The committee, which is better known as a “superboard”, is expected to start official work next month after establishing its own working regulations and work time frame. 

Besides Tawatchai, the members of the superboard are General Bunyavat Kruahongs, a former director-general of the Defence Budget Office at the Defence Ministry; former senator Pichai Uttamapinant; Amorntep Jirattiticharoen, who was a lecturer at Mahanakorn University of Technology; and Prasert Apipunya, who was acting deputy secretary-general of the NBTC.

Amorntep said he had paid attention to how the NBTC would protect the combined 18 million subscribers of TrueMove and DPC after the concessions end on September 15. He is also interested in how the watchdog will auction the 1,800-megahertz spectrum bands of both cellular operators.

The NBTC is working out the details on how to compensate these subscribers. It will announce in June which party it will assign to take care of these subscribers for one year during the transit period.

Pichai said he had paid attention to the hot issue of the NBTC’s formulation of the beauty-contest rules to grant digital public TV channel licences.

 

Beauty contest 

This week, civil-society groups and academics expressed concern about the upcoming beauty contest for public-TV licences, claiming such an approach would not address the actual needs of the public.

Prasert said the committee had given priority to consumer protection in the NBTC’s work.

Tawatchai said the superboard would do its best. He said he was aware that the telecom industry is a multibillion-baht sector where there are many vested interests. He said his task at the committee might be tougher than when he served in the Army.

Prasert added that the committee would work with utmost transparency. This is to address the concerns of some parties that the committee might not dare fully inspect the NBTC’s performance to as its annual working budget comes from the commission.

Some parties are also suspicious why the head of the committee and also key positions of the NBTC happen to be taken by military top brass. Tawatchai, who was Second Region Army Commander, said people should not focus on his military background but on his strong intention to do his best in his current position.

General Thares Punsri is the NBTC chairman and Colonel Natee Sukonrat and Colonel Settapong Malisuwan are the two vice chairmen. 

The power of the evaluation committee lies in Article 22 of the 2010 Frequency Allocation Law. While it 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. 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 this committee.

The committee was formed under 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.