The amended NBTC draft bill passed its first reading in the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday after being delayed for a year due to government red tape.
The NLA voted unanimously with 162 votes to push through the NBTC draft bill, with the establishment of a subcommittee to discuss the bill further.
The Assembly will hold the second and final readings of the draft NBTC bill over the next two months, said Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam.
Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), said he agreed with almost all the details of the bill, with the only exception being the management structure of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund for the Public Benefit (BTFP).
He said the NBTC draft bill grants too much authority to the NBTC board to set up its own committee to manage and use the fund, without a central authority to investigate. The bill also allows the NBTC chairman to chair the fund's board.
Mr Takorn said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha should instead act as chairman of the fund in order to enhance cooperation and the effectiveness of the fund's management.
Somkiat Tangkitvenich, president of the Thailand Development Research Institute, earlier urged the government to suspend the implementation of the renewed NBTC draft bill until several crucial elements are revised. He said the existing draft bill may have a bad effect on the industry and weaken consumer protection.
He said several controversial issues would need to be dealt with, including frequency allocation and the qualifications of NBTC members.
The bill suggests the allocation of frequencies could be done by other means other than auctions. In addition, it also requires commission members to hold a military rank of at least lieutenant-general, instead of choosing members with experience in telecoms and the new media.