Light Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board members have voted in opposition to the development of a 3.eight billion baht telehealth challenge, citing misalignment with the goals of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) challenge budget.
The majority of board members argued that the USO project’s focus must be on supporting telecom community installation and enlargement to bridge the digital divide, while the telehealth venture primarily invests in IT methods similar to cloud server techniques.
At the board’s third assembly, 4 members voted to scrap the challenge, whereas three, together with NBTC chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, supported it. The majority emphasised that they were not blocking useful tasks however highlighted the telehealth proposal’s deviation from the USO policy. They also expressed concerns about potential legal risks for the board if the venture had been accredited.
Instead, the board members have requested management to contemplate different tasks associated to the common public well being system, such as increasing telecom networks in sub-districts to support hospitals in border areas. The NBTC had piloted the telehealth venture two years in the past during the Covid-19 pandemic, spending over one hundred million baht on a pilot targeted on subsidising telecom infrastructure and 5G networks..