Nod to service extension plan
THE 11-member board of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission yesterday voted 9-2 to approve the draft plan to allow TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC) to cooperate with CAT Telecom on continued service to their combined 17 million u
Commissioners Supinya Klangnarong and Prawit Leesatapornwongsa voted against the plan.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit said the commission referred to Articles 20 and 15 of the telecom law to support this plan. Article 20 says telecommunication service cannot be disrupted, and Article 15 that the NBTC can issue a condition to protect consumers.
The revenue from subscribers during this one-year transition period will be transferred to the state after expenses are deducted.
Takorn reaffirmed that this does not amount to an extension of the concessions for TrueMove and DPC but is only aimed at protecting their customers from the effects of the concessions’ expiry.
Legal experts earlier questioned the legitimacy of the plan on grounds that there is no law to support it.
