New NBTC board sets three-point plan to consider planned True-DTAC merger
The five new members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) announced three measures to consider the planned merger of two leading telecom operators at a first meeting on Wednesday.
NBTC Office acting secretary-general Trairat Wiriyasirikul said the meeting was the ninth one held by the commission this year.
The five new members were royally endorsed on April 13 and their names were published in the Royal Gazette a day later.
The meeting, which was chaired by NBTC chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, resolved to approve a road map for consideration of the planned amalgamation of True Corporation and Total Access Communication (DTAC).
True and DTAC’s shareholders okayed the plan, which was then submitted to the NBTC for approval on January 25.
Academics and consumer protection groups have called on the previous NBTC to wait for the new board to consider the deal.
As a first measure, the meeting resolved to set up four panels to consider the issue, Trairat said. The four panels are the subcommittee on legal affairs, the subcommittee on consumer protection and people’s rights, the subcommittee on technologies and the subcommittee on the economic impact from the merger.
Under a second measure, the NBTC agreed to organise a focus group to hear opinions from businesses and industries which are related to the planned merger, academics and the general public.
A third measure will see the NBTC assign its working panels and advisory committees both in the country and abroad to study possible impacts of the merger, Trairat said.
He did not detail the time frame of the three measures but said the commission would get the studies done as soon as possible.
“The NBTC will carefully and comprehensively study the merger plan and it will allow public participation in the study,” Trairat vowed.
“It will also study legal technicalities and both negative and positive impacts by taking into account the interest of the public and the telecom industry. So, all sides should have confidence [in the NBTC’s decision],” Trairat added.
