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.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
RSS