The Senate has scrapped the selection process of board members at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) as the amended NBTC law took effect on Tuesday.
Senate Speaker Pornpetch Wichit-cholchai said the selection process was terminated in line with the new law which calls for the selection of seven NBTC board members within 15 days of the law coming into force.
The Senate passed the amendment to the NBTC Act on Feb 15 and the law took effect on Tuesday.
When the bill was passed, the Senate Secretariat's NBTC board selection committee had announced a shortlist of 14 candidates vying for seven board member positions with the Senate expected to pick the seven members at the end of February.
The bill's passage meant the ongoing process of the NBTC board selection will be tossed out.
Mr Pornpetch said the new board members will be selected under the new criteria set out by the amended law. However, he insisted the shortlisted candidates are still eligible to apply.
"The 14 shortlisted candidates applied under the old version of the NBTC law, so the process was terminated," he said.
Mr Pornpetch said the amended law authorises the Senate to examine the qualifications of the candidates before voting to select the seven members.