The National Communications Commission is scheduled to submit two proposals to the Cabinet by April to help facilitate the switch from analog to digital for terrestrial TV services.
The government hopes to phase out analog signals by 2012.
One of the proposals will suggest that the government subsidize all viewing households in buying set-top boxes, while the other would propose that the government subsidize low-income families only.
Should the Cabinet opt for the first proposal, each household would receive a subsidy to buy one set-top box. If it chooses the second option, the government will subsidize the purchase, including the set-top boxes, cables and antennas.
The first proposal is estimated to cost the nation about NT$10.5 billion (US$300 million), while the second is expected to cost NT$200 million.
Before formulating the proposals, the commission has reviewed developments in Japan, South Korea, the US, the UK and Germany.
Japan and South Korea only subsidized low-income families. The US, on the other hand, provided each viewing household a US$40 coupon to purchase a set-top box. It withdrew analog services last June. The UK and Germany did not provide any subsidy.
Taiwan has about 7 million households with TV, including about 100,000 that are considered low-income households.
Only five TV networks offer digital broadcasting: Taiwan Television, China Television, Chinese Television Service, Formosa Television and the Public Television Service.
The commission also hoped that the government would consider providing high-definition TV services if it chooses the first proposal. The massive demand for set-top boxes will help lower the costs of the set-top boxes and make them more affordable.
It could also serve as an opportunity to develop the digital content industry, with Taiwan currently trailing behind South Korea.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
RSS