The National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday it would ask multiple-service operator Kbro for a briefing on a mechanism it has used to ensure that all channels have equal opportunities to be included in its cable television services.
The decision was made during the commission’s review of Kbro’s application to change its channel lineups in the 14 cable television services it owns. While Kbro’s application for most of the changes was approved, the NCC held out home shopping channels for further discussion.
Kbro plans to replace channels owned by Eastern Home Shopping & Leisure Co (EHS) with those of U-Life. Media regulations require cable television operators to first apply for permission from the commission for such a change.
However, Kbro’s decision angered EHS.
Earlier this year, EHS requested the commission intervene in the dispute, but it refused to do so. EHS said the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) had requested consumer protection officials at the local government level investigate if the change could affect EHS customers’ interests. The home shopping network operator accused the NCC of violating administrative procedures because the CPC has yet to deliver any official results of its investigation.
EHS said the NCC should release all the information it has used in its review of the case.
However, EHS never signed a contract with Kbro, according to U-Life, adding that EHS had used every means possible to petition or protest and insisted it should not be replaced.
NCC acting spokesperson Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said Kbro had promised the NCC that it would not unify cable TV operators for a joint boycott of any channel when it merged with Dafu Media in 2010. Kbro also agreed not to give preferential treatment to satellite television channels it owns or foreign channels for which it serves as an agent, Wong added.
“Even though the Fair Trade Commission has determined that Kbro did not violate these two provisions, we think Kbro needs to explain how they will ensure that consumers’ rights would be preserved if the replacement is approved,” Wong said.
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)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
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
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