NBTC to clarify its auction plans to NCPO
Usanee Mongkolporn
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will submit details explaining the planned auctions of 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum licences and the Universal Services Obligation (USO) projects to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) tomorrow.

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said yesterday that the commission hoped the clarification would help it unlock its plan to auction 4G or 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrums.

The junta suspended these three projects, pending NBTC's clarification of specific details that were under doubt in a move to ensure transparency.

Takorn said the watchdog was also planning to help TOT and CAT Telecom clarify their plans to the NCPO.

TOT and CAT have asked the NCPO to protect them from possible losses considering they no longer get revenue from concessions as they've had to transfer all earnings to the state coffers according to the 2010 Frequency Allocation Act since last December. In addition, TOT wants to keep the 900MHz spectrum as its concession granted to Advanced Info Service will expire next year.

NBTC had originally planned to auction off licences for the 1800MHz spectrum in August and the 900MHz one in November. Takorn said the auctions could invite investments of up to Bt100 billion to provide wireless broadband service.

Earlier, the NCPO had also told NBTC to put is plan to give away Bt1,000 vouchers for digital set-top boxes on hold until it scrutinised the project for transparency. NBTC was given the go-ahead with the plan after it provided details and the NCPO finished inspecting the state spending in relation to the project.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/NBTC-to-clarify-its-auction-plans-to-NCPO-30237454.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-01

This is a key moment for the regime. They will stand against this petty, multi-billionaire group - or they will continue to fold in fear as they have done since their first day of seeming to confront it.

So far, it looks like the NBTC is going to stare down and prevail over the regime. One still hopes for a comeback. If this military regime is in charge, at least let it do some good. The NBTC affects every person in the country - every TV watcher, every phone user, every internet customer and a lot more. If it's not brought to heel now, it never will be. Now is the time, general, to show you're more than a populist handout artist and that you actually can fix broken things. The NBTC is a monster enabled by the military Dr Frankenstein, so it's only fitting the doctor should fix it.

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I wonder why they won't submit all these details to the newspapers simultaneously...something obviously needs to be sent through the filter first.