Legislators yesterday approved amendments setting a starting date that limits National Communications Commission (NCC) members to two terms effective Dec. 1, paving the way for the dismissal of NCC Acting Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) and potentially suspending the body’s work for the time being.
The amendments passed their third reading with the combined 55 votes of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) against the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) 48 votes.
The changes to the National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) setting term limits and removing clauses regarding extensions or reappointments were initially passed in July, but did not include a timeline for when they would go into effect.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The Executive Yuan thus appointed then-NCC vice chairman Wong as acting chairman on July 30, the day before then-chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) completed his term.
NCC Secretary-General Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said that at present, only three of the seven NCC commissioners remain in office after four departed upon completing their term at the end of July.
Once Wong leaves, the three commissioners would not be able to administer the body’s 104 tasks and functions, since a quorum of at least four members is needed to convene decisionmaking meetings, Huang said.
The opposition parties have opposed reviewing and confirming nominees for NCC commissioners presented by the DPP government.
The amendments state that commissioners would be appointed to a four-year term, which can only be extended once.
While Article 16 of the act stipulates that “the promulgation date of the act is to be set per order of the Executive Yuan,” the opposition-backed amendments state that “the promulgation date of the act would be set for Dec. 1,” blocking Wong from continuing to serve as commissioner as he had completed his term at the end of July and terminating his post as acting chairman at the start of next month.
The KMT and the TPP have opposed Wong serving as acting chairman, deeming him a political appointee who guides and steers the commission’s policies and guidelines in favor of the DPP government.
DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) accused the opposition parties of trying to stop the NCC from carrying out its work.
Without the NCC supervising or regulating telecommunications and Internet affairs, all Taiwanese would be affected, she said.
“The NCC has to manage regulations and measures that affect people’s daily lives and economic activities, including media and broadcasting, Internet and mobile phone services, signal transmissions and cellular networks. Unfortunately, the opposition is using politics to paralyze the NCC, which harms all citizens,” Wu said.
The four commissioners who had completed their terms at the end of July are Wong, Chen, Lin Li-yun (林麗雲) and Wang Wei-ching (王維菁).
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