The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday proposed two new cable TV subscription plans to allow consumers more options.
Currently, cable TV subscribers pay a flat rate, which gives them access to more than 100 channels.
The commission aims to digitize cable TV next year, by which time cable service providers are also to adopt a tiered pricing scheme for services offered to subscribers.
The commission said that it would propose five plans in total, including three other tiered plans that the commission already proposed in 2013.
Before submitting these plans to the legislature for further review, the commission plans to host a hearing to guage public opinion.
According to the commission, the two service plans are different from the ones it proposed three years ago, because the cap on the monthly subscription fee is removed, which was previously between NT$500 and NT$600.
In addition, subscribers would be able to select an a la carte plan, in which they can choose and pay for the channels they want to watch in addition to the must-carry channels.
Asked why the commission has decided to remove the cap on the cable subscription fee, commission spokesperson Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成) said that cable service operators now face competition from the Multimedia on Demand service offered by Chunghwa Telecom and over-the-top content providers from other nations.
Under the new rules, cable providers would be able to offer services in more than one service area, making it less likely for them to disregard market pressure and raise prices.
He also said that an amendment to the Cable Television Act (有線廣播電視法) was passed by the legislature in January last year, in which pay channels and pay-per-view channels are allowed to air commercials.
Under the proposal, Yu said that cable operators would be able to group channels into various packages for subscribers to choose, making it unnecessary to keep the cap.
In addition, under the terms of the proposal, subscribers would be given one week to try the new service, and would be able to terminate the contract at no penalty if they were dissatisfied, Yu said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS