The National Communications Commission (NCC) officially began to operate yesterday as the country's communication and telecommunications authority after a ceremony in which seals were exchanged.
The completion of the ceremony enables the organization to begin sending official correspondence to other government organizations and start working on administrative issues.
Government officials, legislators and some of the nation's biggest telecommunications service operators also participated in the ceremony.
Minister Without Portfolio Wu Feng-shan (
Wu noted that the process leading to the NCC's establishment had been marked by controversy, with legislators sparring over the legislation that defined the commission's structure and scope.
"Despite all this, the public continues to have high expectations for the NCC," Wu said.
Some of the more urgent cases the new commission will consider include possible requests for compensation by TV stations, such as Eastern TV, whose operating licenses were revoked after failing evaluations performed by the Government Information Office (GIO).
The GIO was formerly in charge of overseeing broadcasters.
The GIO's order, however, was overruled on the grounds that the evaluation was flawed.
NCC Chairman Su Yoeng-chin (
He called on the public to support the commission, saying its ability to function as an independent organization depended on this.
Minister Without Portfolio Lin Ferng-ching (
In that time, 23 meetings were held to discuss administrative issues while 53 meetings were held to focus on legal issues, he said.
"We could not wait until the NCC started to do everything," Lin said.
He said a telecommunications technology center had also been set up to assist the commission on technical issues, and that a budget has been designated for the center's operation.
Initially, the NCC's headquarters will be in one of the buildings of the Directorate General of Telecommunications (DGT), with branch offices in the GIO and other DGT locations.
Su also said the law does not prevent legislators from nominating new members to the NCC.
Only nine members presently serve on the commission, which is mandated to have 13.
Three members resigned after their candidacy was approved by the legislature, while one quit before that.
The lack of telecommunications industry representatives on the commission would not be an issue for the time being, Su said, given that technical support was being provided by the DGT.
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