The NTC board has proceeded with a special meeting, affirming that all votes according to the law will not be nullified. However, they could not specify when the urgent digital TV agenda will reach a conclusion.
On 2 Oct 2024, Professor Emeritus Dr. Pirongrong Ramasut and Associate Professor Dr. Suphach Supachalasai, NTC commissioners, disclosed prior to a small board meeting of six members—without Clinical Professor Dr. Saran Boonbaichaiyapruck, NTC Chairman—that the meeting agreed to hold a special session on 2 Oct at 10:30 a.m., invoking the authority under Section 20, Paragraph 3 of the Frequency Allocation Act to expedite consideration of pending matters.
However, on the same day, the NTC Office was unable to attend the special NTC meeting at the scheduled time because it was holding a concurrent meeting. The NTC Secretary-General, who serves as the meeting secretary, had not canceled that prior meeting.
“Today, the acting Secretary-General took leave but assigned Mr. Chantaphat Khamkhokkrut, Acting Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of the NTC, to act on his behalf. Mr. Chantaphat sent a letter to all NTC members stating he could not attend the special meeting due to a conflicting meeting scheduled earlier by Clinical Professor Dr. Saran Boonbaichaiyapruck, NTC Chairman, in another room. This shows the Office does not support the meeting convened and requested by the remaining NTC commissioners, though we strive to perform our duties fully,” said Professor Emeritus Dr. Pirongrong.
Professor Emeritus Dr. Pirongrong affirmed that the meeting, including agenda consideration and voting, is legally valid and will not be nullified. Regarding the urgent digital TV agenda, he could not say when a conclusion would be reached but acknowledged the issues facing the digital TV industry and emphasized the need to resolve and unlock the NTC board meeting issues first.
Reporters noted that during this board meeting, the media was allowed by the NTC board to capture the atmosphere before the meeting began, but the NTC Office did not permit media to record the meeting itself and asked reporters to leave the meeting area.