NCC says news channel licensing amendments will not put CTi back on air

Taipei, Jan. 31 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislature on Friday passed amendments to the Satellite Broadcasting Act easing license renewal rules for news channels, though the regulator said the changes would not restore the cable news broadcasting rights of Chung Tien Television (CTi TV).

Shortly after the amendments cleared the Legislature, Huang Wen-che (黃文哲), secretary-general of the National Communications Commission (NCC), said the legislation contains no retroactive provisions and therefore would not affect CTi News, which was taken off the air in 2020.

The amendments, proposed by opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers, allow channels to continue broadcasting on their original slots during administrative lawsuits and require authorities to provide remedies if a channel has been reassigned.

The revisions also stipulate that applications for renewal of news channel licenses should be approved in principle and extend satellite broadcasting licenses from six years to nine years.

The bill passed 60-48, with the KMT and TPP outvoting the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which opposed the amendments and argued for retaining existing regulations.

The changes have been dubbed the "CTi TV clause" by critics who say they could open a path for CTi News to regain its license after it was taken off the air on Dec. 12, 2020, when its license expired and was not renewed by the NCC.

The broadcasting regulator rejected CTi News' license renewal application on Nov. 18, 2020, citing "repeated rule violations" and "a failure of its internal discipline and control mechanisms."

CTi TV later entered into an administrative lawsuit with the NCC and the proceedings are still ongoing.

CTi TV is part of the Want Want China Times Media Group, which also owns the China Times and Commercial Times newspapers and China Television Co. (CTV).

In a statement on Friday night, the Executive Yuan criticized the Legislature's move, saying the amendments "infringe on press freedom and constitutional order."

The country's top executive body added it would "seek lawful and constitutional remedies" but did not specify what concrete actions it might take.

Critics of the government's move back in 2020 to not renew CTi TV's broadcasting license also argued it infringed on Taiwan's press freedom, accusing the government and ruling DPP of trying to silence critics.

The news channel later focused on developing its news and other programs online.

In a separate statement, CTi TV said the passage of the amendments marked "a major development for news freedom" and called it a step toward "fairness."