Superboard faults NBTC for failure to regulate industry
THE National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)’s Inspection and Evaluation Commission, or Superboard, has concluded that the NBTC failed to regulate the telecom industry in four areas: spectrum management, airtime tariff, consumer prot
Amornthep Jirattiticharoen, a telecom veteran on the Superboard, said yesterday that the Superboard found the NBTC failed to recall frequencies from state agencies for reallocation to boost telecom service efficiency.
“The NBTC needs to hurry to consider putting the 2600 megahertz and 700MHz frequencies up for auction in the near future, as they are valuable bands for telecom services,” he said.
The NBTC failed to review all telecom packages from existing operators and force them to offer lower prices, as required by the auction’s rules. Some packages are offering higher tariffs, he said
The Superboard also found fault with the NBTC for failing to resolve and clear all consumer complaints within 30 days as required by law.
Some cases took more than one year to end. That made consumers more dissatisfied with the NBTC’s response.
The NBTC was also found to have failed in fostering more competition by promoting newcomers to the mobile industry.
Three players
There are still only three incumbent operators – Advanced Info Service, Total Access Communication and True Corp.
The NBTC should issue regulations for mobile virtual network operators to support more of them in the industry, which would benefit consumers.
During the three-year term of the Superboard, it also found that the NBTC failed to outline a long-term roadmap for the telecom industry, especially for a spectrum plan.
That made it difficult for both incumbent and new operators to put together the right strategy and investment plan, he added.
The Superboard’s term comes to an end today.
