A new act governing the supervision of channels on cable TV and the multimedia-on-demand (MOD) system would lift the requirement that caps the number of subscribers to any service provider at one-third of the total subscribers in the nation, according to the National Communications Commission (NCC).
The draft statute of cable and multiple-channel platform service management is one of five new acts proposed by the commission, which intends to merge and change three current media acts as well as the Telecommunications Act (電信法) to meet the changes in the digital media landscape.
NCC Planning Department Deputy Director Chi Hsiao-cheng (紀效正) said the current cap set for cable system operators would actually punish operators if their subscriber numbers increased because of good service.
He said the new statute would lift the cap, thereby encouraging operators to provide better service to customers.
For operators whose customer numbers increase because of mergers or acquisitions, Chi said the commission would use administrative measures to prevent any operator from monopolizing the market or providing other negative consequences when the commission reviews their cases.
Chi said the new act would also allow the commission to relax the regulations on cable or MOD operators whose market share is below 25 percent.
He said that they would only be asked to regularly report the number of their subscribers and their monthly service fee to the commission.
However, he said that the commission would set stricter regulations for cable or MOD operators whose market shares exceed 25 percent, adding that those operators must have their monthly service charge approved by the commission.
According to the commission, the draft legislation is to be posted on the commission’s Web site and it is to also hold public hearings on the proposed act.
In addition to the proposed statute of cable and multiple-channel platform service management, the commission unveiled the draft statutes for terrestrial television and channels management, and electronic communication.
The commission said the draft statute for terrestrial television and channels management would remove regulations banning investment from the government, political parties and the military from the three current media acts, adding that that particular restriction should be listed in the Budget Act and proposed political party act instead.
The proposed electronic communications act would expedite the legal procedures needed to protect the victims of cyberbullying or other Internet crimes, the commission said.
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