Inspection fees for radio-frequency equipment are likely to be less than NT$750 or free if it can be confirmed that they are for personal use only, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The proposed policy change would be discussed when the commission meets the mandated quorum of four to hold a meeting, the commission said. Currently, the seven-member commission has only three commissioners.
The commission made the statement after on Monday last week suspending the collection of the NT$750 equipment inspection fee due to complaints from consumers.
Photo: Bloomberg
Prior to the fee adjustment, only consumers bringing in three or more radio-frequency products from abroad would be asked to pay an equipment inspection fee of NT$600. Fees are waived for consumers bringing fewer devices, who are only required to upload to the NCC system product specifications and an affidavit declaring that the devices are for personal use only.
To avoid paying inspection fees, many online buying agents would only import two radio-frequency devices each time, which dramatically increased the workload of the NCC.
As such, the commission decided to raise the inspection fee to NT$750 to prevent exploitation of the loophole in the system, adding that the fee change applies to those importing two or fewer devices from abroad as well.
Last year, the commission began welcoming public input on the fee change, which was scheduled to take effect on Feb. 5.
“The fee adjustment was proposed to deter buying agents from exploiting the system, but we found that many consumers bought these products for personal use. As such, we would consider amending regulations. Inspection fees for those buying radio-frequency products for personal use should be waived or charged in a smaller amount. The decision would not be made until the commission meets the quorum to convene,” NCC Secretary-General Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said.
The number of applications for radio-frequency equipment inspections rose to approximately 40,000 last year from 25,000 in 2023, NCC data showed.
Of the 40,000 cases, about 10,000 were related to the importation of sports cameras, wireless microphones and drones. They were followed by 8,000 pieces of camera and photography equipment, 6,000 Bluetooth and regular headsets, and 5,000 Meta virtual-reality headsets and glasses, the commission said.
The NCC said it had issued 366 payment slips since Feb. 5, with 322 people having paid. The remaining 44 have yet to pay the fee due to the suspension of the policy, it said.
The NCC would decide what to do with those who have paid the fees, Huang said.
He denied that the decision to roll back the measure was made because of political pressure.
The main purpose of the fee change is to ensure that buying agents follow the law, not to punish personal users, he said.
“We also have the responsibility to maintain the order of radio waves and protect user safety. People have problems with the way we carry out such missions, and we have to fix it,” he said, adding that the NCC might consider relaxing regulations for devices that would cause only minor interference, as well as better ways to identify personal users and buying agents.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
RSS