Academics, media, and certain civil movements have come out in wholehearted support of National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) member Pirongrong Ramasoota in her battle against telecom conglomerate True, which is suing her for dereliction of duty.
With the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases set to consider True’s case against Pirongrong on Thursday, several organisations, comprising academics and local press, recently launched a campaign on the Tally website, seeking signatures from people in support of the NBTC chief.
The Thailand Consumer Council on Monday issued a statement, saying Pirongrong had not committed any offence and she was just performing her duty in warning the telecom firm.
“This case has drawn the attention and been followed by the public, academics, consumer groups, and mass media. In this case, we view that the NBTC has done its duty to protect consumers,” the council said in its statement.
The case originated when the NBTC, in 2023, issued a warning to True Digital Group, an arm of True Corporation, as the company’s True ID application showed advertisements when it broadcast TV digital channels.
The watchdog body claimed that this violated the “Must Carry” rule, which mandates that all television platforms must carry free-to-air television channels without blackout, while the programmes are aired to “ensure that citizens have access to essential public broadcasting content”.
In March last year, True filed a petition against NBTC and Pirongrong, claiming that it could affect its reputation and its relations with TV channel providers.
As Pirongrong headed a subcommittee that worked on the matter, she was accused of dereliction.
True said the “Must Carry” rule could not be applied to Over-The-Top (OTT) service, a digital distribution service offered directly to viewers via the public internet, and there were no other regulations to control this area of operation.
Pirongrong, in response, said that NBTC just performed its duty to protect consumers, adding that no derelict behaviour was shown.
Media academics showing up
Ahead of Pirongrong’s D-Day, several academics showed up in support of her.
Preeda Akarachantachote, the dean of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Communication Arts, said that this was an action aimed at destroying anyone opposing tycoons.
“This is the ultimate strategy of tycoons in dealing with those who try to prevent their domination, by threatening criminal charges, accusing them of committing fraud, and demanding an amount of money that their rivals will not be able to pay,” he wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
If she is found guilty and not given bail, the academic-turned-regulator would need to leave the post as it contradicts the NBTC’s member qualification.
In April 2024, True appealed to the court to suspend Pirongrong from her duty, but the request was turned down as the court said she had not shown any opposition to the legal process.
Pirongrong used to be a professor at the faculty as well as Chulalongkorn’s deputy dean responsible for communication matters.
She became an NBTC member in 2022. She was two out of five NBTC members who opposed the merger of telecom giants True and DTAC, a deal slammed as the complete monopolisation of the Thai telecom service industry.