NBTC Secretary Presented NBTC Roadmap 2016 to the Executives and Calls for Strict and Swift Regulation and Promotes Digital TV Engagement in Solving Problems

On January 5, 2016, Mr. Takorn Tantasith, Secretary of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC Secretary), explained to NBTC executives regarding operation policy and direction for the year 2016 covering eight main subjects as follow:

1. All broadcasting and telecommunications services must be swiftly and strictly regulated. Regarding telecommunications service, the rates of 4Gservice on 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrums which is expected to be launched this year must not exceed the rates of 3G service on 2.1GHz spectrum. This rule shall be applicable to both voice and data service. The service rates of every package must be calculated based on the actual use (per second). Broadcasting and television services, on the other hand, shall be strictly monitored in terms of contents. Any contents found to be threatening national security or members of the royal family shall be immediately removed and proceeded with legal actions. Other illegal contents such as those that violate FDA law shall be liable to immediate legal penalty.

2. An agreement on the revenue of businesses which operate on 1800 MHz band after the ending of concession contract on December 15, 2013 must be quickly settled in order to handover such revenue to the state. Then, NBTC must present the results to NTC Board within 3 months for further consideration.

3. The person responsible for organizing golden number auction must be appointed by April 2016. As of now, it is under the process of collecting applications from candidates. The person raising the highest income for the state will be selected. The auction of golden numbers is expected to take place in June 2016 in order to submit income to the state.

4. Resolve digital TV issues by appointing a bureau for collecting and concluding suggestions made by related parties to be submitted to NBTC before presenting to the Prime Minister and NCPO leader for further implementation of corrective measures. Members of the bureau shall consist of NBC as bureau advisor and all 24 digital TV providers, including relevant financial institutions, representatives from the Office of the Council of State, Office of the Attorney General in Thailand, Ministry of Finance and other relevant agencies.

5. Appropriate measure for handling the problem of outstanding amount of unregistered prepaid SIM Cards that haven’t been claimed by SIM Card owners, totaling the amount of over Bt 100 million, must be quickly determined to decide whether the amount should be handed over to the state or used for public benefits in accordance with the set up objectives.

6. The committee appointed by NBTC for handling community radio issues of Dhamma Radio should quickly develop proper measures to be taken and propose to the Prime Minister, NCPO leader and His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary within the period of 3 months for approval.

7. Unused numbers that cannot be returned due to NBTC requirement stating that all returned numbers must be submitted in groups must be properly managed. Currently, there are a total of 100 million unused numbers which cannot be re-allocated and must require additional rules for allowing these numbers to be reused to avoid the implementation of 11-digit numbers.

8. NBTC shall strive to be a transparent organization by ensuring that all future bidding and licensing are carried out in transparent manner as its previous 4G bidding.

“2016 is a year of building a transparent organization for NBTC as we focus on practicing strict regulation to build confidence among general public. It is another year that we commit ourselves to creating the highest benefits for Thai nation and its people,” said Mr. Takorn.