Senator Premsak Piayura has urged Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to dissolve the entire National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board and restart the selection process.
Dr Premsak said it could end a prolonged leadership dispute that has paralysed the telecom regulator.
On Thursday he questioned the legality of an NBTC selection committee resolution that found chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck unqualified to hold office.
The dispute began with the committee's July ruling that Dr Sarana lacked the qualifications to serve as chairman.
He has challenged the ruling in the Central Administrative Court and remains in office, but several commissioners have refused to recognise his authority and boycotted meetings, causing repeated quorum failures.
Dr Premsak said the resolution could be invalid due to possible legal issues involving committee members' qualifications and quorum requirements.
He questioned whether Vitai Ratanakorn, the newly appointed Bank of Thailand governor, took part in the vote despite not being an original committee member.
He also raised concerns over Kiatipong Amatayakul, the Supreme Court representative on the committee, saying he may no longer qualify under the Frequency Allocation Organisation Act due to the age limit.
If any committee member lacked the required qualifications, the quorum and legality of the resolution could be challenged, he said.
Dr Premsak said the dispute was unlikely to end as the selection committee considers its decision final.
He urged Mr Anutin to refer the matter to the Senate and called on Senate President Mongkol Surasajja not to bypass Senate scrutiny by returning the issue to the government for royal endorsement.
He called on Mr Anutin to "reshuffle the deck" by dissolving all seven NBTC commissioners and launching a new selection process. He said this would restore public confidence and end years of internal conflict, with the commissioners having just over one year left in office.
Asked about concerns over vested interests within the regulator, Dr Premsak said the prime minister could act under existing legal powers if he agreed with the proposal.
"What is needed is the courage to make a decision," he said, warning that continued uncertainty would hinder the regulator's work.
The NBTC deadlock has delayed decisions on key issues, including Thaicom 4 satellite operations and digital TV transition measures.
