NBTC role reduced under new draft laws
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The Cabinet yesterday approved eight digital economy draft laws, which authorise the soon-to-be set up digital economy committee to assign and manage spectra policy instead of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.
Some of the draft laws also require the NBTC to merge its existing Broadcasting and Telecom committee into a single regulatory body by correcting the existing NBTC law. NBTC will become the regulatory body for broadcasting and telecommunications, but it will have to comply with the government’s digital economy policy on spectrum planning.
Information and Communication Technology Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said the digital economy committee would decide on which spectra should be auctioned off for commercial purposes and which should be assigned for public benefit. Under the new draft law, the NBTC would no longer oversee the Bt20-billion budget of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund for Public Interest. The digital economy committee will now manage the fund.
A spectra coordination task force with bordering countries will also be removed from the NBTC’s jurisdiction and put under the government agency.
The government will hand all eight drafts over to the Council of State to frame the new laws.
