The legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday reviewed drafted amendments to the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), which critics said are proposed to enable CTi News (中天新聞台) to retake Channel 52.
The National Communications Commission (NCC) in 2020 rejected CTi News’ application to renew its license on the ground that it operated under a “dysfunctional internal control mechanism,” causing it to frequently break broadcasting regulations.
The news channel, which previously broadcast via cable channel 52, was taken off the air after its license expired.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
CTS News and Info (華視新聞資訊台) currently broadcasts via Channel 52, which is a coveted spot, as it is within the “cable news block (Channel 49 to Channel 58).”
CTi subsequently appealed the NCC ruling in administrative courts, with the case still pending a final decision.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers proposed amendments to certain articles of the act, requiring NCC to renew licenses of news channels by default. Meanwhile, the amendments would allow satellite channel operators whose licenses are revoked by NCC to continue broadcasting while seeking to appeal the ruling at administrative courts.
The amendments, once passed, would be retroactively applied to past cases, including those involved in on-going legal disputes.
At the committee meeting yesterday, KMT Legislator Liao Hsien-hsiang (廖先翔) asked acting chairman Chen Chung-shu (陳崇樹) about NCC’s plan to handle the CTi News if the amendments were approved by the legislature.
Chen said NCC would abide by the law if it exhausts all judicial remedies.
“However, the NCC cannot review any case at the moment. Changes to the channel lineup proposed by cable system operators must be approved by commissioners, who are not able to convene for a legal meeting for failure to meet quorum,” he said.
CTS News and Info is the legitimate user of Channel 52, he said, adding that CTi might face numerous legal challenges if it seeks to take back the spot, particularly related to protecting the interests of a third party.
“It is like an apartment where the landlord has found a new tenant, and problems would arise if you want the tenant to move away now. That said, it would be almost impossible for CTi News to return to Channel 52,” Chen said.
Chen clarified the commission has 26 cases of legal disputes with CTi News, with final verdicts reached in 24 cases. The administrative courts ruled in favor of CTi News in only seven cases.
Chen warned about the consequences of passing the amendments.
“If a television station’s request to renew its license was rejected for frequent broadcast of violent, scandalous and sexual content, and if the station can simply continue broadcasting them by filing lawsuits, this would encourage other stations to follow suit, worsening the quality of media content and destroying the competitiveness of law-abiding media outlets,” he said.
Problematic content disrupts social order and affects public safety, and people would lose faith in the NCC should it do nothing to rectify the situation, he said.
Separately, the NCC has asked Mirror News to explain its plan to launch a new political show, which would reportedly be hosted by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Chen is serving a 20-year sentence for corruption and has been out of prison on medical parole since 2015 under several conditions, including not attending events related to political campaigns, not giving speeches at political rallies, not speaking about politics and not accepting media requests for interviews.
Mirror News’ business plan states that it would not produce and broadcast political talk shows like other news stations.
In response, Chen Chung-shu said Mirror News has yet to publish any information about the new talk show on its official Web site, adding that whether Chen Shui-bian is violating conditions of the medical parole by hosting the show would be the Ministry of Justice’s call.
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