Days before the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) planned rally to highlight the issue of media monopolization, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said yesterday that his caucus would support legislation to address the problem.
Wu told a press conference that the KMT caucus would agree to amendments to the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the Cable Television Act (有線電視法) and the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) proposed by DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) to prevent media monopolies.
Wu’s comment marked a sharp change from the caucus’ previous position.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Public concern about media monopolization has risen after the acquisition of Hong Kong-based Next Media’s four outlets in Taiwan by a consortium that includes the son of pro-China tycoon Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), chairman of the Want Want China Times Group.
The acquisition still has to be approved by the Fair Trade Commission and the National Communications Commission.
The KMT caucus has previously refused to sign a petition by students and civic activists in support of legislation to guard against media monopolies, and boycotted legislative reviews of the amendments proposed by Yeh.
The amendments include a regulation that the number of channels owned by media operators and their related enterprises cannot account for more than one-tenth of all channels.
Wu said the KMT would also support the DPP’s proposal on regulations governing the electronic media and it would suggest that the print media also be covered by anti-media monopolization regulations.
Unlike the DPP, which he said had only focused on the sale of Next Media to the Want Want Group, the KMT opposes all media-monopolization cases, Wu said.
Wu said the caucus had refrained from commenting on the issue before, because it did not want to interfere in the Next Media acquisition.
The three amendments are to be reviewed at the legislature’s Transportation Committee today, with representatives from the Fair Trade Commission attending.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS