Fearing their licences may be revoked, internet service providers have sought guidance from the national telecom regulator on how they can block all illicit webpages and content on local network servers within the next seven days, especially content encrypted overseas which is extremely difficult to block.
The Thai Internet Service Provider Association (TISPA) requested clarity on the issue Thursday when its president, Morragot Kulatumyotin, and other members submitted a letter to the secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) urging a joint discussion on the matter.
On Wednesday, the NBTC ordered all ISPs to block illicit webpages and content that has been deemed illegal by the Criminal Court, and gave them a week to comply or risk reprisals.
Any failure to comply will face penalties ranging from fines to criminal charges.
The regulator was expected to send the court order to all ISPs by Thursday.
However as of Thursday afternoon it had still not done so, claiming it was awaiting a court order from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.
Ms Morragot said TISPA members have agreed to comply with the resolution in order to safeguard the best interests of the nation.
"We [ISPs] are waiting for the NBTC's order and the court order," she said.
"TISPA members will hold talks this week before discussions are held with the regulator next week."
TISPA has 19 members including all major ISPs in the country including CS Loxinfo, True Internet, Advanced Wireless Network, DTAC TriNet and CAT Telecom.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said the agency will hold talks with TISPA members on Tuesday to make sure they all have a correct understanding of the policy and to foster collaboration on resolving technical issues.
"Personally, I think TISPA should negotiate with over-the-top providers like Facebook and YouTube to remove illicit video-streaming from their local network servers, or content delivery networks," he said.
After the seven-day deadline, the NBTC will re-check its database of ISPs to ensure they have complied with the order, officials said. It will do so in conjunction with the DE Ministry, the Technology Crime Suppression Division and representatives of national security agencies.
ISPs must provide a "reasonable" reason for non-compliance, officials said.