National Communications Commission Chairperson Su Herng (蘇蘅) yesterday said the commission may be able to issue operational licenses for low-power radio stations next year if an amendment to the Broadcasting and Television Act (廣播電視法) were passed during the current legislative session.
“We are pleased that legislators agreed to put the bill on the priority list during the session,” Su said. “We could soon begin preparing for the issuance of 155 licenses, provided the amendment is passed.”
The commission estimated it would take another six months to complete all the procedures if the amendment is approved at the legislature, Su told the legislature’s Transportation Committee, where she briefed lawmakers on the commission’s goals and policies for the next fiscal year.
Su, who attended her first committee meeting since assuming the position, faced a barrage of questions from legislators on topics such as underground radio stations, how to select the commission chairperson and vice chairperson, and digital TV services.
One legislator went as far as to ask Su whether she knew what the telephone numbers “1999” and “55688” stood for.
Democratic Progressive Party legislators Kuo Jung-tsung (郭榮宗), Kuo Wen-chen (郭玟成) and Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) called on the commission to quickly make public its rules on how the licenses would be attributed so that illegal radio station operators could apply and have a chance to legalize their operations.
Wang said that if the commission used an auction to distribute the -licenses, they could end up in the hands of large corporations. Consequently, the commission should instead assess the applicants’ qualifications to determine whether they deserve a license, Wang said.
Wang also urged the commission to reserve frequencies for radio stations broadcasting in Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese) — similar to what has been done for Hakka and Aboriginal languages — to ensure the survival of the language, whose usage has been decreasing.
In response, Su said that following a major crackdown in recent months, only four illegal radio stations were still operating, adding that the commission would soon provide courses for people interested in running a radio station.
Su said the commission had yet to determine if the radio licenses should be awarded through a public auction, a qualification review, or both.
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