The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday urged the National Communications Commission (NCC) to immediately take back the radio frequencies used by the Broadcast Co of China (BCC).
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) told a press conference that as radio frequencies are public property, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) cannot sell or transfer the BCC.
As former UFO Radio president and New Party founder Jaw Shaw-kong (
Selling the BCC to Jaw would help "concentrate valuable public goods on a few people," because Jaw would be able to control both radio stations, Tsai said.
He said both the KMT and Jaw needed to explain to the public whether there had been any under-the-table deals between them.
Tsai said that much of the BCC property was part of the KMT's "controversial assets." He said that if Jaw insisted on buying the BCC, he would not be able to refuse to return the BCC to the nation once a referendum on recovering the KMT's stolen assets was held.
The KMT sold its shares in the BCC to a Chinatimes Co subsidiary for NT$4 billion (US$122 million) last December.
The Chinese-language United Daily News said yesterday that the China Times Co sold the BCC's media business department to Jaw last weekend for between NT$600 million and NT$700 million.
Jaw confirmed yesterday that he had bought the department, but he refused to say for how much.
He also said he did not make the deal to help KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
Meanwhile, the NCC said the Broadcast and Television Law (廣播電視法) bars radio stations from selling or transferring frequencies at will. However, in the BCC case, the law would allow the Chinatimes Co to transfer its shares to UFO Radio.
"Legally, the BCC still possesses the right to use its frequencies, since they own the licenses to operate them," a commission official said on condition of anonymity.
Since the radio station had not broken the law, the commission could not revoke its licenses or reclaim its frequencies, he said.
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