The Executive Yuan yesterday sent back a controversial proposal tabled by the National Communications Commission (NCC) after Minister Without Portfolio Simon Chang (張善政) decided to hold off a review amid concern it might infringe on freedom of speech.
Chang, who is in charge of the review of the amendments to the Telecommunications Act (電信法), said he would not hold a review until the commission presents draft bills to complete the legal framework for digital convergence, scheduled for March next year.
Once the necessary legislation has been enacted to allow cross-investment in telecommunications, broadcasting and Internet operations, the Telecommunications Act, the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) and the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法) would be repealed, he said.
The decision meant that some controversial articles in the proposed amendment — dubbed by netizens as a re-emergence of the White Terror era — has, in effect, been rejected.
Under the proposed article 9 of the Telecommunications Act, enterprises operating telecommunication services for public use can disable Internet access, delete content on the Web or take appropriate measures to block Internet content deemed detrimental to public order and good morals.
The article also states that telecommunication enterprises should act at the request of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to block Internet content considered by the regulatory agency to be unlawful.
“Due to the open nature of the Internet, if rules need to be drawn up to regulate Internet content, they should not be very strict,” Chang said. “It’s out of the question to effectively regulate content on the Internet.”
Chang, who was director of Google Asia Regional Infrastructure before joining the Cabinet last year, has said previously that most of his friends in the business community were opposed to the amendment, which they described as “standing in clear contrast with international trends.”
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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