Lawmakers at the legislature’s Transportation Committee on Thursday passed a resolution to require the National Communications Commission (NCC) to present a draft act to regulate over-the-top (OTT) television service operators before the end of June.
The resolution, proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) and seconded by seven other legislators, was passed as the committee reviewed the commission’s budget for this fiscal year. It is to take effect after the resolution is passed by all lawmakers at the plenary session.
Surveys conducted by the NCC showed that 41.5 percent of broadcast media viewers aged 16 or older said that they had watched OTT services in 2020, up from 30.8 percent in 2017, lawmakers said, adding that subscribers of OTT services rose from 19.8 percent in 2017 to 35.4 percent in 2020.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
Nearly 70 percent of OTT viewers said that the services should be properly regulated, they said.
“With a significant rise in the number of OTT users, we ask the NCC to submit a draft of the relevant regulations before the end of June,” lawmakers said.
DPP Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said the commission in 2020 held multiple information sessions for the first draft of the OTT bill, but it has not presented the latest version.
“The commission cannot use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to keep postponing public hearings or information sessions for the draft act,” Lee said.
NCC Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said in response that Taiwan is the first democratic country to stipulate regulations for OTT TV.
Singapore and China have regulations governing the management of OTT TV, but their regulations are akin to practices of authoritarian regimes, he said.
Chen Yaw-shyang said that the commission received feedback on a number of issues when the previous draft of the bill was presented.
“In terms of managing the OTT TV operators, the bill would address consumer protection issues, such as personal data protection. We would also need to balance the regulations of different broadcast media,” he said.
The NCC did not delay the introduction of the draft of the OTT TV act, he said.
“Our priority at the moment is pushing for the passage of the draft digital communications act,” he said.
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