Thirty-seven television and radio stations across the nation, including International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT), TaiwanPlus and the nation’s three oldest terrestrial television stations, might be taken off the air, as the National Communications Commission (NCC) does not have enough commissioners to convene meetings to review their license renewal applications.
The seven-member commission has only three commissioners. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) requires a quorum of four to hold a meeting.
The Executive Yuan had nominated four names to replace four outgoing ones, but the legislature’s Transportation Committee did not review the nominations.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Executive Yuan later asked then-NCC vice chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗), who was nominated to be NCC chairman, to temporarily assume the post of NCC chairman.
However, the legislature passed an amendment to the NCC Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法), which bans any NCC member from serving more than two terms. Wong, who had served two terms, left after the amendment took effect.
There are 37 television and radio stations whose broadcasting licenses are scheduled to expire in the first half of this year, NCC secretary-general Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said.
The list includes four terrestrial television stations — Taiwan Television, China Television, Chinese Television System and Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS) — whose licenses will expire on June 30.
The government-funded English-language channel TaiwanPlus would also be affected, as it operates using PTS’ license, the commission said.
Furthermore, 25 radio stations are slated for license renewal, Huang said.
The broadcasting licenses of ICRT, Fu-Hsin Broadcasting Station International, National Education Radio, Police Broadcasting Service, Taipei Broadcasting Station and Kaohsiung Broadcasting Station are to expire on June 30, while the licenses for the rest of the group would expire between June 18 and June 30, he said.
ICRT is Taiwan’s only English-language radio station and serves the expatriate community here.
Fu-Hsin Broadcasting Station is a military broadcasting service funded by the Ministry of National Defense, while the National Education Radio is supported by the Ministry of Education to produce educational programs.
The Police Broadcasting Service, which is backed by the National Police Agency, is considered a reliable source of traffic reports.
The Taipei and Kaohsiung broadcasting stations are supported by the Taipei and Kaohsiung city governments respectively.
Meanwhile, the broadcasting licenses of eight satellite television broadcasters would expire between next month and June. MTV Live and Nick Jr of Taipei Postproduction (台北影業公司) might see an immediate impact, as their licenses will expire on March 7, Huang said.
The commission has no legal grounds to allow these stations to continue to operate by granting them a temporary license, he said.
Article 12-1 of the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法) stipulates that the NCC may grant a three-month operating license to broadcasters should the agency find items they need to address when reviewing their license renewal applications. It does not apply in the current situation, Huang said.
As failure to renew the licenses of these broadcast media would significantly hurt the public interest, the commission has invited external experts to propose solutions at a meeting on Feb. 20, he said.
Broadcasters are entitled to seek judicial remedies, such as court injunctions to keep them on the air, the commission said.
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