The legislature yesterday unfroze funds for the Public Television Systems (PTS) after stalling the last fiscal year’s budget request of NT$450 million (US$13.2 million) for more than a year.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Non-Partisan Solidarity Union caucuses reached the agreement to grant the Government Information Office’s (GIO) budget request for PTS after negotiations on April 14.
The legislature first blocked a budget request of NT$900 million for PTS in 2007 but last year unfroze half of the funds.
A debate later flared up concerning the blocked funding when the legislature passed a resolution proposed by the KMT caucus in early December that stipulated that money for PTS programs be contingent on case-by-case reviews of the projects.
The move sparked protests and concerns that legislators sought to censor public programming.
PTS also issued a press release saying that lack of funds was limiting its operations.
The government and the KMT caucus said the funds were blocked because PTS’ impartiality was questionable.
Lawmakers negotiated the frozen budget in the last legislative session, but a proposal to unfreeze the funds failed to be included on the agenda for the last day of the session because of a disagreement between the KMT and the DPP.
Also yesterday, the legislature passed an amendment to the Copyright Act (著作權法) authorizing Internet service providers (ISP) to suspend services to customers who illegally download copyrighted files on at least three occasions.
The amendment stipulates that ISPs should inform a customer via e-mail upon finding that he or she has infringed copyright laws.
Under the amendment, ISPs are immune from penalties incurred by their customers for infringing on copyrights as long as the ISP did not initiate the file transfer and was not aware of the customers’ illegal activities.
KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), one of the lawmakers who proposed the amendment, said it would promote development of the Internet while reinforcing copyright protections.
Meanwhile, legislators also approved an amendment to the Consumer Debt Clearance Act (消費者債務清理條例) allowing debtors to seek assistance from local governments in negotiating in court on repaying their debts.
The legislature also passed an amendment to the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) entitling single fathers and those who have been unemployed for a long period of time to government stipends.
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