The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that if amendments passed by the legislature on Tuesday go into effect, the commission would only have three members from next month, which would affect the normal functioning of its operations.
The amendments to the National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) restrict all commission members to a maximum of two terms and remove all clauses regarding extensions or reappointments.
They also state that if the commission cannot find seven members as mandated, the premier is obligated to nominate people to fill the positions within three months.
Photo :CNA
NCC members were scheduled to review and approve sales of the new iPhone16 which was expected to be available for purchase next month.
NCC Chief Secretary Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) told a news conference that four NCC members’ terms expire this month, and there are no provisions to enable the NCC to appoint new members by the end of the month.
As the NCC’s operations would be affected, it must start to make internal adjustments and prioritize important tasks, so that the functioning and utilization of media and telecommunications networks are not affected, Huang said.
The NCC has not yet received the new iPhone devices to test and review so that it can approve them for sale in Taiwan, he said.
It is still uncertain as to when the amendments would take effect, but the commission plans to make an effort to ensure our testing and review of new devices is not affected, he said.
As NCC Commissioner Chen Yaw-shyang’s (陳耀祥) term expires by end this month, NCC Deputy Commissioner Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) might take over his role.
Huang said he could not comment on the matter as the Cabinet is responsible for making the appointment.
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