Large over-the-top (OTT) television operators would be required to register with the government and subject to other special obligations under a new draft act regulating Internet audiovisual services (網際網路視聽服務法草案), the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The agency unveiled the legal framework of the new draft after an old draft, which was created in 2020 following a controversy involving Chinese streaming service operator iQiyi, was criticized for requiring operators to divulge what might be considered sensitive business information and for not incentivizing operators to generate new content.
Some criticized the government’s failure to effectively tackle rampant copyright infringement on some online streaming sites.
NCC Deputy Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) told the commission’s weekly news conference that Chinese OTT TV operators are regulated by the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), not the new draft act.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has since 2020 banned Taiwanese firms from serving as agents for Chinese streaming platforms, he said.
The OTT TV operators regulated by the draft act are those that establish service bases in Taiwan or have substantial ties with the nation, he said.
They are also those that have a substantial number of subscribers, such as Netflix, LiTV, Line TV, MyVideo, friDay, Hami Video, KKTV and Catchplay, Wong said.
The draft would not regulate platforms featuring user-generated content, such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, he said.
The regulated operators would be those that have a large user base, or who could affect the welfare or well-being of the public, he said, adding that the commission would publish a list of operators who must register.
The commission has yet to decide how many users or subscribers would qualify as operators, he said.
The draft stipulates obligations common to all OTT TV operators and obligations that only apply to registered operators, Wong said.
All operators are obligated to disclose basic company information, honor their user service agreements, broadcast legally obtained content and cooperate with government requests for information, he said, adding that overseas operators must have local agents.
Registered operators must join local self-regulating streaming service organizations, he said.
If a registered operator wants to suspend or terminate a streaming service, it must inform users in advance and tell them how they will be compensated, he said.
Registered operators must also commit to airing or producing content targeting Taiwanese audiences, Wong said.
The NCC is considering requiring overseas operators to work with local content providers, he added.
Overseas operators without local agents or operators failing to register as required would face penalties, he said.
Under the draft act, the NCC could order public communication networks, telecoms and Internet service providers to reject the services of an OTT TV operator if a final court verdict rules that it contravened the Copyright Act (著作權法), Wong said.
The draft act provides tax incentives for operators that produce local content, as long as the incentives comply with tax laws, Wong added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS