NBTC wants part of auction payments for digital fund
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THE National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has proposed that the new NBTC Bill mandate the transfer of 60 per cent of the up-front fees from winning bidders for both telecom and broadcasting licences to the state and the rest to the upcom
It made the proposal to the Council of State during their recent discussion as part of the latter’s vetting of the bill, Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the NBTC, said yesterday.
Currently the watchdog transfers all of the up-front payments from telecom spectrum auctions to the state treasury and those from broadcasting spectrum auctions to the NBTC’s own broadcasting and telecom R&D fund. That fund will be replaced by the Digital Economy Fund once the law governing its establishment comes into force.
The NBTC also proposed the transfer of 75 per cent of its income after administrative expenses to the state and the rest to the Digital Economy Fund, instead of the present practice of passing it all to the state.
The military-led government has drafted a batch of bills, including the new NBTC Bill, to promote a “digital economy”.
Under the NBTC Bill, the allocation of broadcasting and telecom frequencies for commercial use does not need to be done only through auctions but also may be done by any other method determined by the commission. This is one of the major changes from the 2010 law, which obliged broadcasting and telecom operators to obtain licences strictly by an auction.
A telecom-industry observer believes that the NBTC will continue using the auction method, as other options could attract heavy public criticism for lack of transparency.
