NBTC ready for new legislation, top official says

Thanapant is a member of the National Legislative Assembly’s sub-committee drafting the new frequency-allocation law.
The bill is expected to be signed into law after the new constitution takes effect, he said during a press conference on the new frequency-allocation law hosted by the NBTC.
The bill has passed its first reading in the NLA.
It still allows the NBTC to oversee spectrum auctions and satellite-spectrum management, but adds the condition that some spectra might not be tendered.
The new NBTC will still be an independent organisation but will have to work more closely with the government on formulating the “digital economy” policy. The new NBTC will have seven members, down from the current 11.
They will be selected from seven sectors – telecommunications, radio broadcasting, TV broadcasting, legal, economics, engineering and consumer protection.
According to the draft law on the digital economy and society that is expected to be passed by the NLA this year, the NBTC will transfer 25 per cent of the proceeds from spectrum auctions directly to the planned Digital Economy Fund. The rest will go into general state revenue.
The draft also requires the NBTC to pass 25 per cent of the annual licence fee to the Digital Economy Fund, while the rest will be kept for the NBTC’s operations.
Last year, the NBTC collected Bt9.21 billion in regulatory fees. After deducting Bt4.59 billion for its expenses, it transferred Bt4.67 billion to the treasury.
This year, the NBTC has budgeted fees of Bt8.18 billion, expenses of Bt5.68 billion and the transfer to the state of Bt2.4 billion.