GPS interference in northern Taiwan last week was caused by a government agency calibrating a radio wave transmitter, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The commission said it has asked the agency to conduct tests based on the Regulations Governing the Use of Radio Frequencies (無線電波管理辦法).
The incident was first reported by a Twitter user identified as Erik Kannik, who said that it was the first time that he saw GPS jamming in Taiwan.
He described the phenomenon, which lasted for three days, as “very concerning.”
Some followers of GPSjam.org, a Web site allowing people to track GPS interference worldwide, said that the phenomenon was a troubling development, as a similar incident occurred just before Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
“We received a complaint about interference in the GPS system from the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s air traffic control towers on Saturday,” NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) told a weekly news conference in Taipei.
“Our staff at the Northern Region Affairs Office the same day drove to the hills between Taoyuan and New Taipei City, and detected intermittent interference,” he said.
UNKNOWN AGENCY
The office determined that the interference came from a government agency, a legitimate radio frequency user that inadvertently caused interference in neighboring frequency bands while calibrating a radio wave transmitter, Wong said.
However, he did not disclose the name of the agency.
“We have told the agency to strictly adhere to the Regulations Governing the Use of Radio Frequencies,” he said.
The Ministry of National Defense and the CAA said their operations were not disrupted by the interference.
Separately, the NCC has proposed an amendment to the Regulations for the Distinction Between Television Programs and Advertisements, Product Placement Marketing and Sponsorships (視節目廣告區隔與置入性行銷及贊助管理辦法) to allow sports and art channels to enlarge the names of sponsors for sports events, music concerts or award ceremonies.
Sponsors’ names can only be displayed at the upper right corner of the TV screen and must not outsize the logos of the channels.
“Sports and art channels often pay high royalties to obtain the broadcasting rights to sports games and award ceremonies. The amendment would help them secure more sponsors and facilitate the development of the television industry,” Wong said.
The amendment would allow sports and art channels to enlarge the names of sponsors for sports events, music concerts and award ceremonies to half of the television screen or full screen, provided that the sponsors’ names are shown without audio for no more than two seconds, Wong said.
The display must not disrupt the proceedings of sports events or ceremonies, or compromise the audience’s interests, and the completeness and independence of the content, he said.
The restriction on the display time does not apply to sponsors’ names on scoreboards, Wong said.
The public is encouraged to submit input regarding the amendment during the 30-day viewing period, he added.
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