National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Howard Shyr (石世豪) yesterday accused the Executive Yuan of meddling in the commission’s case involving Global Mobile (全球一動), adding that the “Executive Yuan has enough wisdom to fix the mistakes it made.”
The WiMAX service operator filed an appeal with the Executive Yuan after the commission nullified a July ruling allowing the telecom to upgrade its system on the grounds that it failed to fulfill three conditions the NCC issued.
However, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee last week sided with Global Mobile, ruling to void the three conditions attached to the NCC ruling.
Shyr said that the committee’s decision showed that the Executive Yuan has interfered in the operations of the commission, which is an independent government agency.
He also accused Global Mobile of trying to influence the committee by meeting with its members.
“Before the appeals committee comes to a decision on any specific case, the person presiding over the committee, as well as its members, should not meet with the person filing the appeal,” Shyr said. “They should not discuss with the person filing the appeal how the case would be deliberated, nor should they consult with the person on how the final ruling should be written.”
“The commission would never give such friendly treatment to our applicant [Global Mobile],” Shyr added. “It would be out of the question.”
Shyr said that Global Mobile “would be given its rights protected by laws.”
The commission is to hold an administrative hearing on the Global Mobile case on Thursday next week.
In other developments, the commission is to hold three administrative hearings on three different cases involving foreign firms investing in the nation’s cable networks, including the Far EasTone Telecommunications’ (FET) acquisition of cable channels owned by China Network Systems (CNS).
Shyr said the commission has stipulated that any foreign investment in the nation’s cable systems would need to go through an administrative hearing.
In the case of the FET-CNS deal, Shyr said the commission would invite several witnesses to attend the hearing, including banks providing loans, Guanshinwu Co (廣興五) — an important shareholder — FET, as well as other multiple cable network operators, and satellite and terrestrial channel operators.
Shyr said the case also needs an appraiser, which would be provided by the Financial Supervisory Commission.
“The case has a rather complex investment structure. We need an expert who is knowledgeable in this field or has the experience to help us analyze the structure,” he said, adding that the case would involve how the close-ended funds are to work and how investors would see returns.
Another case involves Carlyle Group’s selling all the shares it owns of Kbro Co (凱擘), another big multiple cable network operator, to the group’s main shareholder, Dafu Media (大富媒體).
Dafu owns 80 percent of Kbro’s shares and Carlyle owns 20 percent.
The third case involves Mauritius-registered Absolute Perfect Co, which is applying to invest in Beidu cable TV network in Taipei.
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