The much-anticipated National Communications Commission (NCC) was officially launched yesterday, with its nine members unanimously choosing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-backed Su Yeong-chin (
The first NCC meeting, mandated by law, also elected Shyr Shry-hau (
Su said after the election that both the chairman and two vice chairmen were elected by the NCC members themselves.
Each position was put to the vote once, and the results were finalized after three elections in total. All three officials were approved by the NCC members without any opposition, Su said.
He denied that the commission members had struck a deal on the election beforehand, adding that the three top officials represent different parties, which fulfils the law's requirement for diversity in the NCC.
The meeting yesterday revealed neither a specific plan nor a timetable for what the commission attempts to accomplish this year.
"The most important thing right now [to the commission] is to win the trust of the people," Su said.
The legislature approved the Organic Law of the National Communications Commission (
Except for Lu Chung-chin (
Last week, three of the nominees -- Chen Ming-syan (
For the remaining nine commission members, seven are backed by the KMT, and one each by the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union. In terms of their expertise, three commission members are representatives from the media, four are legal experts, one is a telecommunications professional and one is a consumer advocate.
In response to concern that the composition of the NCC could allow party politics to interfere with the operation of administrative agencies, Su said yesterday that the NCC is an independent body responsible for executing the nation's media laws.
It is also charged with the mission of regulating the telecommunications, information and broadcasting sectors, he said.
Su added that the commission cannot propose legislation, but could offer suggestions independent of both the Executive Yuan and the parliament.
He said that the lack of representation from the telecommunications industry would not be an issue.
In addition to the commission members, the NCC will recruit an additional 500 to 700 employees from the ranks of former employees of the broadcasting division of the Government Information Office and the Directorate-General of Telecommunications.
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
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