National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) yesterday said that the commission is seeking to invite expert witnesses with backgrounds in communications, finance and law to attend an administrative hearing for CTiTV News’ license renewal application.
However, it would not disclose the names of the witnesses in advance so that they would not be subjected to pressure before the hearing, he added.
Chen was scheduled to brief lawmakers on the NCC’s performance in the past fiscal year.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
However, he faced questions from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers about the commission’s decision to hold an administrative hearing on Oct. 26 as part of its review of the news channel’s license renewal application.
KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said that this would be the first time that the NCC held an administrative hearing for a TV news channel’s license renewal application since its establishment in 2006.
The commission lacks the standards to determine whether an administrative hearing should be held for a case, Hung said, adding that the decision to hold the hearing could create the impression that NCC commissioners have already decided on how they would rule.
KMT Legislator Lu Ming-che (魯明哲) also questioned the commission’s decision.
The commission prides itself in being an open, fair and just government agency, but it has yet to disclose the list of expert witnesses scheduled to attend the hearing, he said.
Lu also asked whether the NCC would rule on the case fairly, given that it had approved the Taiwan Optical Platform’s application to upgrade a variety show channel to a news channel only to overturn it within a week.
“I hope you realize that you are not just handling a license renewal application. It is also a test to see if the nation can tolerate diverse opinions,” he said, adding that he hopes the NCC’s review would not turn into a “comprehensive cleansing” of news media.
Chen told lawmakers that the commission could have been accused of operating in a black box if it did not hold an administrative hearing.
However, it is still facing criticism, despite ruling unanimously to hold a hearing, he added.
“People in Taiwan have freedom of speech and can access diverse public opinions. None of the news channels in the nation share the same views on issues,” Chen said.
“When we review CtiTV News’ license renewal application, we will look at its performance in the past six years. Holding an administrative hearing shows that we have thoroughly followed administrative procedures in reviewing the case,” Chen added.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS