Superboard probe on post-concession service plan sought
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The Senate has asked the "superboard", which was set up to evaluate the performance of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, to review the NBTC's plan for managing the 1,800-megahertz spectrum, after concerns from some staff of stat
The Senate sent the request to the superboard early this month.
A group of CAT Telecom and TOT labour-union members had filed complaints involving many aspects of the NBTC’s performance, including the 1,800MHz issue. They want the Senate to fire the 11 NBTC members, and have submitted a petition with about 20,000 names.
Amornthep Jirattiticharoen, a superboard member overseeing telecom issues, said yesterday that the it planned to hold a focus-group meeting in mid-October to seek more details of the issues to report back to the Senate. “We will invite the NBTC’s telecom committee, a group of scholars and all parties to the issues to join the focus group,” he said. Pichai Uttamapinant, another superboard member, said this information-gathering process would help the Senate consider the complaints.
The Senate has to take the opinion of the superboard into consideration before it can remove any of the 11 commissioners.
According to the unions, the NBTC’s interim measure to protect the customers of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC) after their concessions expired this month and its plan to auction the firms’ 1,800MHz bands have jeopardised their employers’ revenues. CAT had granted the 1,800MHz bands to both cellular operators.
The NBTC has permitted TrueMove and DPC to join CAT in continuing to serve customers for one more year to protect them from service disruption. It will reclaim their 1,800MHz bands for auction, likely next September.
