The Consumer Organizations Council has submitted an open letter to the NBTC, urging Dr. Sorn to suspend his duties as chairman of the NBTC for the public interest, highlighting the broad impact if he continues to attend meetings.
At 08:30 on 5 August 2026, Supinya Klangnarong, a policy committee member specialized in communications and chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Telecommunications, and Information Technology of the Consumer Organizations Council, along with representatives, submitted a letter to Professor Dr. Sorn Boonbaichaiyapruck, chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), and all seven NBTC commissioners before the NBTC meeting scheduled for 09:30. This came amid concerns about the chairman's status and duties following the selection committee's resolution on 17 July. Ratchapong Pintuseni, acting director of the Corporate Communications Office at the NBTC, received the letter.
Supinya revealed that the NBTC is currently bottlenecked and unable to advance key agendas, especially regarding the future of the media and technology industry due to the chairman's qualification issues. Today, news suggests another meeting is scheduled, which may again fail because most commissioners believe the meeting cannot proceed given the chairman's disputed qualifications. This deadlock directly affects consumers and the media industry, particularly the Digital TV licenses expiring in two years, with no clear direction yet. Without strong and clear regulation, the impact on consumers and media professionals will be precarious.
Additionally, Supinya shared lessons from her own experience as a former NBTC commissioner who once suspended her duties, sending a message to the current chairman: "Let's take a break first." During this pause, he might work on what he loves, allowing situations to resolve. He still has the legitimate right to pursue legal action to prove himself, but to allow public interest to continue, a temporary pause is advisable. It is not difficult to express this intention today; it is not too late.
The Consumer Council's three main demands to resolve the crisis are: first, that Dr. Sorn suspend his duties to preserve the NBTC's honor and dignity, adhering to the selection committee's determination that he lacks full qualifications, to allow the organization to move forward; second, that the remaining six NBTC commissioners accelerate their work and be ready to act, as there is a large backlog of agendas; and third, that the government, led by the prime minister, proceed with the proper legal process to submit the matter for royal consideration, enabling the NBTC institution to continue protecting consumers effectively.
It was emphasized that this action seeks to refocus all parties on the public interest and hopes that the remaining six commissioners and NBTC staff will be ready to resume work for the people once the legal situation is clarified.