Telcom receives flood of applications

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As many as 56 noted individuals have submitted applications to become members of the newly established telecommunications watchdog.

A government-sanctioned selection committee will review all applications from Wednesday to Friday to determine whether aspirants meet the administrative requirements and are competent to carry out the job as a member of the Telecommunication Regulatory Committee.

"The results of the ... selection will be announced on Monday," I Ketut Prihadi, spokesman of Directorate General of Post and Telecommunications at the Ministry of Communications, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The committee will comprise of five members, including the director general of post and telecommunications.

Under Ministerial Decree No. 31/2003, the committee will join the newly established Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (BRTI).

The establishment of the agency was one of the requirements set out by the House of Representatives when it endorsed the government's telephone rate hike.

The House, telecommunications industry players and observers have said an independent regulatory body was needed to ensure fair competition within the industry and to protect consumers.

However, telecommunications analysts questioned the independence of BRTI, as the government still played a dominant role in the agency through the directorate general of post and telecommunications.

Ketut said director general of post and telecommunications Djamhari Sirat had resigned from his positions as president commissioner at telecommunications equipment maker PT Inti and as commissioner at telecommunications firm PT Telkom, as he would assume a position in the regulatory committee.

The committee has ruled that members are prohibited from holding a position at any telecommunications firm, so as to prevent a conflict of interest.