Six commissioners of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) are set to hold their own board meeting on Friday without the chairman, breaking a deadlock of more than two months of cancelled meetings that has left a ballooning agenda.
The meeting is scheduled for 10.30am on Friday and is supported by the NBTC office.
NBTC chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck called for regular meetings on Oct 1-2, though he requested to be absent from them.
An NBTC source who requested anonymity said all six commissioners agreed the NBTC office should arrange the meeting, select a temporary chair for the meeting, organise the backlog of agenda items and establish a framework for subsequent meetings.
Acting secretary-general Trairat Viriyasirikul sent the letters to the six commissioners to join the meeting. However, the source said this special meeting and any approved agenda items could risk regulatory challenge, as Dr Sarana holds the power to arrange NBTC meetings because he is still chairman.
Commissioner Pirongrong Ramasoota said the first task on Friday will be to elect one of the six commissioners to chair the meeting. No agreement has been reached in advance on who should take the role.
The arrangement of agenda items, assignment of responsibilities and scheduling of subsequent meetings will be determined during the board meeting.
She said Mr Trairat informed the commissioners that the original Friday meeting called by Dr Sarana would have to be cancelled before a special meeting of the six commissioners can begin so that the two meetings do not overlap.
The special meeting will not immediately consider all of the outstanding agenda items, determining which can proceed based on the status of previous approvals and which may need to go through the regulatory process again, said the source.
Commissioner Suphat Suphachalasai said the handling of the agenda backlog must be undertaken carefully to ensure that every step complies with the law and does not create legal problems later.
“This is not a 100-metre sprint. Everything has to be done cautiously and in accordance with the law so that there will be no problems in the future,” he said.
The six commissioners are also considering holding another meeting early next week and increasing the frequency of special meetings in order to gradually clear the accumulated workload.
Mrs Pirongrong said the meeting should give top priority to considering issues facing the digital TV broadcasting industry.
“The rhetoric of a failed meeting must end. From now on, journalists should not use that description. We intend to work for the public and clear all the outstanding matters,” she said.
The board meetings have failed repeatedly since July as many commissioners declined to attend after the NBTC selection panel ruled in July that Dr Sarana lacked the qualifications to hold the office.