National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) yesterday said that the commission is seeking to invite expert witnesses with backgrounds in communications, finance and law to attend an administrative hearing for CTiTV News’ license renewal application.
However, it would not disclose the names of the witnesses in advance so that they would not be subjected to pressure before the hearing, he added.
Chen was scheduled to brief lawmakers on the NCC’s performance in the past fiscal year.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
However, he faced questions from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers about the commission’s decision to hold an administrative hearing on Oct. 26 as part of its review of the news channel’s license renewal application.
KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said that this would be the first time that the NCC held an administrative hearing for a TV news channel’s license renewal application since its establishment in 2006.
The commission lacks the standards to determine whether an administrative hearing should be held for a case, Hung said, adding that the decision to hold the hearing could create the impression that NCC commissioners have already decided on how they would rule.
KMT Legislator Lu Ming-che (魯明哲) also questioned the commission’s decision.
The commission prides itself in being an open, fair and just government agency, but it has yet to disclose the list of expert witnesses scheduled to attend the hearing, he said.
Lu also asked whether the NCC would rule on the case fairly, given that it had approved the Taiwan Optical Platform’s application to upgrade a variety show channel to a news channel only to overturn it within a week.
“I hope you realize that you are not just handling a license renewal application. It is also a test to see if the nation can tolerate diverse opinions,” he said, adding that he hopes the NCC’s review would not turn into a “comprehensive cleansing” of news media.
Chen told lawmakers that the commission could have been accused of operating in a black box if it did not hold an administrative hearing.
However, it is still facing criticism, despite ruling unanimously to hold a hearing, he added.
“People in Taiwan have freedom of speech and can access diverse public opinions. None of the news channels in the nation share the same views on issues,” Chen said.
“When we review CtiTV News’ license renewal application, we will look at its performance in the past six years. Holding an administrative hearing shows that we have thoroughly followed administrative procedures in reviewing the case,” Chen added.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS