Senators to urge NACC probe of 3G
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The Senate committee on good governance will today pay a visit to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to call for an investigation into the bidding process that led to the awarding of nine licences to provide third-generation (3G) mobile teleph
The committee, which is due to meet NACC chairman Panthep Klanarongran, will present its report on the issue. The report raises concerns of bidding collusion.
Senator Sumol Sutaviriyawat said the committee report found cause to suspect bidding was designed to encourage collusion among the three bidders to suppress the offer prices. To get to the bottom of the matter, the panel will tomorrow convene a hearing of relevant parties, including the Telecom Affairs panel.
Green Politics coordinator Suriyasai Katasila raised six objections to the bidding outcome. He said the call to lower charges for 3G services in exchange for licences was unacceptable, as operators would adjust fees regardless. It was a face-saving move, with no penalty if not done.
Second, the argument that consumers would gain Bt1.1 trillion via a 15- to 20-per-cent lowering of charges implied the service providers would profit even more – by Bt5.5 trillion – while the state earnings from the bidding would only amount to Bt41 billion.
Third, the Telecom Affairs Committee has yet to effectively enforce regulations designed to protect consumers. Fourth, the lowering of service charges appeared to be a face-saving measure following the lower-than-expected bidding revenues. And there is no penalty clause if operators fail to comply in offering cheaper services for consumers.
Fifth, the formation of an investigative panel on suspected bidding collusion came too late because the licences had already been given to the three winning bidders. Sixth, the four members of the Telecom Affairs Committee are causing confusion because they have already approved the bidding outcome before checking whether the bids were in order, Suriyasai said.
