The National Communications Commission (NCC) cannot approve the renewals of broadcast licenses as it lacks a quorum of members, NCC Acting Chairman Chen Chung-shu (陳崇樹) said today.
He made these remarks in a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee today.
The licenses of networks like Taiwan Television (TTV), China Television (CTV) and Chinese Television System (CTS) are to expire in June but they would not face service outages, Chen said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
However, 37 operators would be affected in the first half of this year.
The license expirations are not the operators’ fault, Chen said, and the NCC has kept them informed of progress on their reviews, he added.
As there is no quorum, channel removals also cannot be reviewed by the NCC, so they must remain for the time being as well, Chen said.
Compared to the licensing of the air channels, the broadcast networks issue is more complex as there are also questions around their use of certain frequencies, he added.
Citing the Telecommunications Management Act (根據電信管理法) and discussions with the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Chen said authorities must first terminate a radio frequency user’s registration prior to taking a channel off air.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) asked why the Executive Yuan had not submitted a list of NCC nominees to the Legislative Yuan.
In response, Chen said that there had been a list of nominees submitted to the Legislative Yuan, although he added he was unsure if a new list would be submitted in the future.
Citing regulations, he said that the right to nominate individuals to the NCC lies solely with the premier and the NCC plays no role in the process.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) said the Executive Yuan submitted a list of nominees on April 30 last year but the KMT-controlled Procedure Committee blocked it.
The issue of the NCC’s budget also remains unsolved and it will run out of operational funds in April, Chen Chung-shu said.
Although the NCC is currently negotiating with landlords about postponing rent payments, that would only be able to last until September, Chen added.
Once the water and electricity are turned off, “information systems” that serve the public would also go offline, he said.
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