Taiwanese distributors representing iQiyi (愛奇藝) or other Chinese over-the-top (OTT) services would be barred from operating in the nation when the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ proposed changes to the list of businesses that are off limits to Chinese investors take effect on Sept. 3, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The list, which was announced by the ministry on Tuesday, bans Taiwanese companies from serving as agents or offering retail or other intermediary services to Chinese individuals, judicial persons or OTT service providers in Taiwan.
On Monday, the ministry also announced that it would adopt stricter standards to define companies funded by Chinese investors.
Photo: Huang Pei-chun, Taipei Times
However, the NCC last week announced that it would hold the first public hearing on Sept. 3 on a draft Internet audiovisual service management act, which would specifically regulate OTT services.
Asked about the timing of the ministry’s announcement, NCC spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said that the draft act was prepared in view of the developing OTT industry, adding that the restrictions imposed on Chinese OTT operators is only part of the act.
“The act was necessary because the cable television service operators have asked that the commission apply across-the-board standards to regulate all audiovisual service platforms, which should include OTT services. It was not stipulated just to address the problems caused by iQiyi and other Chinese OTT operators,” he said.
The nation’s audiovisual service industry is off limits to Chinese investors, and iQiyi’s agent in Taiwan, OTT Entertainment Ltd (歐銻銻娛樂), has contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) by representing a Chinese OTT operator, he said.
The ministry wanted to make the regulation clearer to the public by adding the OTT industry to the list, he added.
Wong reiterated that it is impossible for the government to ask iQiyi to be removed from the Internet, as the service is offered through its servers in Hong Kong.
Taiwan is a democratic country, and the government would not block people from watching the content broadcast on iQiyi, nor would people have to view them through virtual private networks, he said.
Taiwan has denied iQiyi so-called landing right, as China has also banned Taiwanese OTT operators from landing there, he said.
“Once the ministry’s new list takes effect, we would inform telecoms, Internet service providers and information service providers that they need to comply with the regulation. Those contravening the regulation would face a fine of NT$50,000 to NT$5 million [US$1,694 to US$169,446], per the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area,” Wong said.
Aside from agents, advertisers and marketing professionals recruited by Chinese OTT operators, the “intermediary services” covered by the list also include those offered by content delivery networks, Internet data providers, and payment and customer service operators, the commission said.
As iQiyi has about 2 million active users in the nation, Wong said that the commission would soon meet with consumer protection officials in the central and local governments to discuss how they should work together to protect the interests of subscribers.
After the new list takes effect, consumers would be making cross-border payments whenever they pay subscription fees to access iQiyi and would not have local customer service representatives to ask about their subscription problems, the commission said, adding that they might also experience lag when watching content on the platform.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
RSS