The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday made public the principles that cable system operators must follow when making channel lineup adjustments.
The principles were drawn to minimize disputes between cable system operators and channel operators due to channel lineup adjustments, including whether to remove or add a channel to the list, or move a certain channel to the head or back of the lineup, commission spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
However, the commission reiterated that it would not intervene in any business negotiations regarding content authorization fees or profit distribution, Wong said.
The commission identified the need to publish the principles because cable operators make their own rules when making channel adjustments, Wong said, adding that each operator uses different standards.
Some of the rules are even too abstract for channel operators to follow, resulting in disputes, he said.
In November last year, Formosa TV (FTV) wanted to include its news channel — FTV News — in the lineup of Chunghwa Telecom’s multimedia-on-demand (MOD) system.
Kbro, the MOD system’s major competitor, then removed two channels from its cable system channel lineup in a seemingly retaliatory move.
Another highly publicized case is a dispute over content authorization fee between Taiwan Broadcast Communications (TBC) and FTV, which resulted in TBC subscribers being unable to access FTV News.
Based on the principles stipulated by the NCC, cable system operators must fully disclose the rules that they use to change channel lineups. They should use fair and reasonable standards to review applications from channel operators requesting to be included in the channel lineup, and should not deny requests from channel operators without any legitimate reason.
Possible indicators that can be used to determine if a channel should be included in a lineup include objective and credible ratings reports; whether it produces programs for ethnic minorities, children and young people; whether it has won prestigious awards; and whether it produces a lot of its own programs.
Likewise, the rules used to adjust a channel lineup must also include conditions under which cable operators can remove a channel, including bad credit ratings and records of penalties from the commission in the past three years.
Cable operators could consult opinions from consumer rights groups or other civic groups when adjusting channel lineups.
Should cable system operators and channel operators fail to settle a dispute, both sides can seek to resolve them through legal action.
In other news, the commission said that it does not rule out reinvestigating the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) sale of Broadcasting Corp of China (BCC) to the former (KMT) legislator Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) in 2007, following evidence released by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office that the party might have control over the personnel serving on the BCC’s board.
This would mean that BCC has contravened regulations banning political parties, the government and the military from investing in or managing media outlets.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS