Three digital economy bills set for NLA

THREE OF THE eight digital-economy bills will be forwarded to the National Legislative Assembly next month, with enforcement expected by the end of this year. 

They are the Information and Communication Technology Ministry Reform Bill, the Digital Economy Bill and the NBTC Bill. 

These pieces of legislation, which are moving on to the last round of the Council of State’s consideration, will then be submitted to the NLA next month, Surangkana Wayuparb, chief executive officer of the Electronic Transaction Development Agency and head of the digital-law development team, said yesterday.

Under the Information and Communication Technology Ministry Reform Bill, the Software Industry Promotion Agency will be abolished.

Its responsibilities will be transferred to the new Digital Economy Promotion Agency, which will work in a similar way to the Board of Investment, but with its focus on the digital-economy area. The Technology Crime Suppression Division will be also abolished, and its work transferred to the National Cyber Security Agency.

The National Disaster Warning Centre will also be transferred, operating under the Prime Minister’s Office. The Digital Economy Bill, meanwhile, is the result of consolidation of three former pieces of legislation: the Digital Economy Committee Establishment Bill, the Digital Economy Fund Bill and the Digital Economy Development and Promotion Bill. 

The consolidated bill will establish the Digital Economy Committee, which will have more representatives from the private sector; the Digital Economy Agency, working along similar lines to the National Economic and Social Development Board, but as a think-thank for the Digital Economy Committee; and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency, said Surangkana.

Under the NBTC Bill, the number of National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission members will be 11 sitting on a single board, rather than seven members as in the previous draft.

Also under the bill, commercial frequency allocation will be subject to an auction, while other options will be possible for non-commercial frequency allocation. The Universal Service Obligation Fund will belong to the NBTC, but will be 25 per cent shared with the Digital Economy Fund. 

Following the final round of deliberation by the Council of State, the three bills will be submitted to the Cabinet by the end of this month, before submission to the NLA in May.

Generally, the assembly takes 30 to 60 days for consideration of a bill, followed by a transitional period of 90 to 180 days before an Act is officially enforced.

The other five digital-economy bills – the Electronic Transactions Bill, the Electronic Transactions Development Agency Establishment Bill, the Personal Data Protection Bill, and the new Computer Crime Bill and National Cyber Security Bill – are currently at the Council of State consideration stage, with all of them expected to be passed to the NLA within the next three months, said Surangkana.