A National Communications Commission (NCC) proposal to appropriate about NT$15.5 billion (US$544.41 million) from funds allocated for the Executive Yuan’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program to subsidize telecoms building 5G infrastructure faced strong objections from opposition parties at a plenary session at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
A proposal by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to slash the subsidy for telecoms was rejected, with that amount included in the infrastructure budget.
New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said that the funding for 5G construction was unnecessary.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The NCC would have a better chance of securing lawmakers’ approval if it were to submits rules governing the use of the funding, Chen said.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) questioned the rationale of subsidizing 5G infrastructure, which is owned by telecoms.
The program’s funds should be used for government-owned infrastructure, Jang said.
The commission defended its proposal in a statement issued on Monday evening, saying that the funding would help telecoms accelerate construction of cell stations for the 5G system.
Countries worldwide are competing for progress in 5G and domestic infrastructure would be critical to maintaining the nation’s competitiveness in the digital era amid a reshuffling of the global industrial chain, it said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has listed 5G technology development as one of the nation’s six core strategic industries, so it has allocated additional funding to accelerate the construction of 5G infrastructure, the commission said.
Previously, telecoms had planned to build about 16,000 5G cell stations in five years, but with funding from the infrastructure program, they would be able to build 39,000 stations within two-and-a-half years, it said.
Likewise, the 5G signal coverage rate would be raised from 50 percent in five years to 85 percent in two-and-a-half years, it said.
The action plan for 5G development, which was approved by the Executive Yuan in 2019, authorizes the commission to offer telecoms incentives to accelerate construction, particularly in strategic locations and economically disadvantaged areas, the commission said.
The commission said that it would urge telecoms to prioritize 5G infrastructure at major transport hubs and industrial areas, which would lay a foundation for value-added applications using the 5G system.
“The budget we proposed would encourage telecoms to purchase more Taiwan-made telecom products for the construction of a 5G system,” the commission said, adding that such products only account for 40 percent of extant infrastructure.
A national team could be formed to tackle information security issues raised by development through partnerships of domestic and international manufacturers, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS