Neither TVBS News nor cable system operators may unilaterally suspend broadcast of the news channel while they are seeking arbitration to resolve disputes over content authorization fees, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
Multiple system operators Dafeng Cable and Taiwan Broadband Communications (TBC) have applied to move TVBS News from Channel 55 to Channel 149 and Channel 158 respectively after failing to settle a content authorization fee dispute with the cable news channel dating back to 2020.
Global Digital Media, which is an affiliate of Homeplus Digital and serves as the agent of TVBS News, has asked the NCC to arbitrate the dispute based on Article 55 of the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法), the commission said.
“We have asked local governments officials to express opinions about the two cable system operators’ applications to move TVBS News out of the cable news block [channels 49 to 58],” NCC Vice Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
“After collecting their input, we will review the case based on the criteria stated in Article 29 of the Cable Radio and Television Act, which authorizes the commission to make decisions that would maintain market order, protect consumers, ensure that consumers can access diverse content and uphold public interest,” he said.
The Miaoli County Government and the Taichung City Government have provided opinions, but the commission has yet to hear from the governments of Taoyuan, Taichung, New Taipei City and Hsinchu County, Wong said.
NCC Commissioner Lin Lih-yun (林麗雲) presided over the first arbitration meeting on Tuesday, where representatives of Global Digital Media and Dafeng Cable stated their positions in the dispute, the commission said, adding that another arbitration meeting would be held later.
The two sides have yet to settle their differences on how the number of cable service subscribers should be calculated, as well as the final price of the contract, NCC specialist Huang Juei-di (黃睿迪) said about the first arbitration meeting.
None of the parties involved in the dispute may unilaterally move the channel to a different spot or suspend its broadcast while the commission is reviewing the proposed changes, the NCC said.
Dafeng and TBC could be fined up to NT$3 million (US$95,420) for contravening the act if they unilaterally suspend the broadcast of TVBS News, it said.
Meanwhile, the news channel could be fined up to NT$1 million for contravening the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) if it suspends transmission of signals to cable operators, the commission said.
Dafeng and TBC on Monday denied contravening the cable TV act, saying they plan to move TVBS News to the second news block after channel 100, rather than take it off the air.
They said the change complies with the commission’s new policy of encouraging cable operators to number TV channels using three-digit numbers and dividing the channels into different blocks based on their content.
Wong said the commission has yet to decide when to implement the channel-numbering policy, due to unresolved issues.
“However, Article 37 of the Cable Radio and Television Act requires cable system operators to set their on and off-shelf standards, in which they should cite objective and convincing TV ratings as justifications that certain channels should be placed on the front of the channel lineup,” he said.
“When we examine applications from the two cable system operators, we will look into whether they had followed their own standards in changing channel lineups. We will also consult local government officials on the proposed changes and review the performance of channels affected by the changes,” Wong said.
The management of cable service systems would also be invited to the commission and explain the details in person.
TVBS yesterday denied rumors that it intended to raise the content authorization fee.
‘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