The National Communications Commission (NCC) has temporarily suspended the introduction of the draft digital intermediary service act after it was criticized for allegedly impeding freedom of speech by allowing government agencies to flag certain Internet content.
“Following a meeting on Monday, we decided to return the draft act to our digital convergence task group, which will re-examine it based on the comments we gathered through three information sessions last month. Our staff members categorized these comments along 22 main issues and about 80 minor issues,” NCC Vice Chairman and spokesperson Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) told a news conference in Taipei.
The draft act is “back to square one,” he said.
Wong said that most people think the legislation must clearly state what obligations would be imposed on digital intermediary service providers, including regulatory filings, transparency reports and protecting consumer rights.
“Some have said that the definition of a digital intermediary service provider is so broad that e-commerce operators would be regulated by the draft act. We need to conduct further studies to assess how the draft act would affect the industry,” Wong said.
Asked whether the move would leave the commission’s newly established Internet Communications Management Department with no laws to enforce, Wong said the commission would work with multiple stakeholders in the government and private sector, and offer administrative guidance to digital platforms.
Separately, airtime for domestically produced children’s programming was reduced last year as an increasing number of children watch shows on over-the-top (OTT) services, an NCC survey among terrestrial and satellite channels showed.
Airtime for children’s programs on satellite television dropped to 2,755 hours last year from 2,920 hours in 2020, while airtime for newly produced children’s shows also slid from to 1,070 hours last year from 1,196 hours in 2020.
“Some television stations told us that most children now watch programs on OTT services, rather than on cable,” Wong said. “We are planning to next year task a third party to conduct a study on the broadcast media industry, and we will determine whether we should relax broadcast media regulations.”
Experts from media associations and civic groups said TV stations have become less willing to invest in programs for children, citing a relatively smaller market in Taiwan, Wong said.
The groups told the NCC that Taiwan lacks an industry chain to produce programs for children and teenagers, Wong said.
While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the production schedules of TV programs, Taiwanese channels did not report any problems meeting the required percentages of locally produced content, including children’s shows, entertainment shows, TV series and films, the survey found.
Airtime for locally produced entertainment shows, TV series and films rose last year, the commission said.
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