The National Communications Commission (NCC) officially began to operate yesterday as the country's communication and telecommunications authority after a ceremony in which seals were exchanged.
The completion of the ceremony enables the organization to begin sending official correspondence to other government organizations and start working on administrative issues.
Government officials, legislators and some of the nation's biggest telecommunications service operators also participated in the ceremony.
Minister Without Portfolio Wu Feng-shan (
Wu noted that the process leading to the NCC's establishment had been marked by controversy, with legislators sparring over the legislation that defined the commission's structure and scope.
"Despite all this, the public continues to have high expectations for the NCC," Wu said.
Some of the more urgent cases the new commission will consider include possible requests for compensation by TV stations, such as Eastern TV, whose operating licenses were revoked after failing evaluations performed by the Government Information Office (GIO).
The GIO was formerly in charge of overseeing broadcasters.
The GIO's order, however, was overruled on the grounds that the evaluation was flawed.
NCC Chairman Su Yoeng-chin (
He called on the public to support the commission, saying its ability to function as an independent organization depended on this.
Minister Without Portfolio Lin Ferng-ching (
In that time, 23 meetings were held to discuss administrative issues while 53 meetings were held to focus on legal issues, he said.
"We could not wait until the NCC started to do everything," Lin said.
He said a telecommunications technology center had also been set up to assist the commission on technical issues, and that a budget has been designated for the center's operation.
Initially, the NCC's headquarters will be in one of the buildings of the Directorate General of Telecommunications (DGT), with branch offices in the GIO and other DGT locations.
Su also said the law does not prevent legislators from nominating new members to the NCC.
Only nine members presently serve on the commission, which is mandated to have 13.
Three members resigned after their candidacy was approved by the legislature, while one quit before that.
The lack of telecommunications industry representatives on the commission would not be an issue for the time being, Su said, given that technical support was being provided by the DGT.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS