The fate of CtiTV News hangs in the balance after the National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday ruled that it would next month hold an administrative hearing on the broadcaster’s license renewal application.
It is the first time that the commission is to hold an administrative hearing before reviewing the license renewal application of a TV news channel.
Asked why the commission needs to hold an administrative hearing before deliberating over the case, NCC Vice Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said that it is to make sure that the commission has followed due process when reviewing the case, adding that the commission has held administrative hearings for major cases in the past.
The Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法) requires the NCC to inform all parties, as well stakeholders involved in a case, at least 20 days before a hearing, so the date of the hearing should be sometime in the second half of next month, Wong said.
“We do not have any preconceived opinions on how the case should be ruled,” he said.
As to crucial matters that the NCC is seeking to clarify through the hearing, Wong said that commissioners only discussed at the commission’s weekly meeting yesterday the procedures they should follow to review the case.
The NCC would announce in advance all the questions that CtiTV News representatives are expected to answer during the hearing, he added.
The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) authorizes the commission to convene public hearings when a case involves the public interest, NCC specialist Chen Shu-ming (陳書銘) said, adding that the procedures should be commensurate with those stipulated in the Administrative Procedure Act.
“The review of a license renewal application from a TV news channel often draws public attention. As such, the commission would approach the case in a more cautious manner,” Chen said.
Last week, the commission held a public hearing on whether the nation should cap the number of TV news channels, and have consistent standards to review the establishment and license renewal applications of news channels.
Asked if the hearing would affect CtiTV’s license renewal application, Wong said that the two are separate matters.
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