The deadlock between government officials and the cable television industry over the roll-out of digital TV services is expected to be resolved later this month, an industry insider said yesterday.
\nViewers may have to wait until after the presidential election, however, to see real progress.
\nThe nation's three largest providers have locked horns with local governments and the television watchdog Government Information Office (GIO) over how much they can charge for new digital services and the set-top box that are needed to decode digital TV signals.
\n"We are involved in semi-legal actions against the Taipei City Government at present and hope to see some results later this month," Gary Tsai (蔡俊榮), a spokesman for the nation's largest cable provider, China Network Systems Co (CNS, 中嘉), told the Taipei Times yesterday.
\n"The bottom line is that consumers don't have to pay for the box and can rent it instead," he said.
\nTsai said he is nevertheless "optimistic" for a full resolution to the dispute, especially after the presidential election next month when officials might be more willing to make changes.
\nTaipei City has capped the price of the digital set-top box at NT$3,500 (US$105), despite the industry's claim that each box sets them back NT$6,000.
\nCNS and its largest rival, Eastern Multimedia Co (EMC,
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