New National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡) yesterday said she would try to communicate with all industry operators, consumers and stakeholders on new regulations, adding that the commission would propose new regulations on media convergence as soon as possible.
Chan, along with five other new NCC commissioners, took office yesterday.
NCC Commissioner Katherine Chen (陳憶寧) does not finish her term until 2018.
Chan said that the NCC is an independent agency in which commissioners are able to make decisions independently based on their professional judgement.
However, she said that the agency cannot isolate itself and should communicate with industry operators, consumers and stakeholders, using diverse channels.
“Taiwan is facing many challenges in the information and communication industries, but there are many opportunities as well. The key is whether we can be more open and creative, and actively communicate with the public,” she said, adding that she interacted with civic groups when she was vice president of the science and technology law department at the Institute of Information Industry.
Apart from the convergence of network infrastructure and platforms, Chan said that media convergence now also involves the convergence of content and services.
The commission would work to facilitate the development of the digital economy, empowering the industry to create diverse content and generate innovative services, she added.
The Executive Yuan previously returned five bills designed to tackle issues related to media convergence to the NCC and Chan said the commission would continue working on the bills.
“The bills must be drawn up using the lowest costs in external communication and must effectively resolve problems. We will respond to the need for such legislation in the shortest time frame possible,” she said.
Chan had said at her confirmation hearing at the legislature in June that she found some of the terms used in the five draft bills — stipulated during the term of former NCC chairman Howard Shyr (石世豪) — very difficult to understand.
She said the NCC might consider reducing the number of bills.
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