Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the national telecom regulator to resume allocation of research and development funds for broadband network development projects, starting from 2017.
The use of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund for the Public Interest, managed by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), was suspended by Gen Prayut in 2014, after his military coup.
The order is part of Gen Prayut's attempts to accelerate telecom infrastructure development in order to steer the country towards Thailand 4.0, or the value-based economy.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said the regulator last week received a letter from Deputy Prime Minister ACM Prajin Juntong, informing him that Gen Prayut signed an order on Aug 25 to allow NBTC to resume allocation of the funds for the development of affordable broadband access in rural and remote areas.
ACM Prajin also serves as acting minister at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE).
The fund now holds 23 billion baht. It gets pledged contributions from telecom and broadcasting licensees through the annual payment of 3.75% of net income from telecom and broadcast services.
Mr Takorn said the NBTC will have to work closely with the DE Ministry to fully utilise the fund for public benefit, and avoid duplicating investments from the ministry's own plan to develop a national broadband infrastructure project.
There are 79,000 villages in the country, 40,000 of which already have broadband internet access.
Mr Takorn said the NBTC will set up a working committee this month to formulate broadband development plans.
Representatives from the National Economic and Social Development Board and the Secretariat of the Cabinet will be invited to participate with the committee.
He said Gen Prayut also ordered the NBTC to formulate a five-year investment plan to develop the country's broadband network in order to eliminate investment projects that duplicate those of the DE Ministry.
The government outlined a 20-year roadmap for 2016-2036 to develop Thailand's digital economy.
The roadmap was approved by the cabinet in April in a move aimed at boosting the country's industrial and economic competitiveness to drive sustainable economic growth.