37 broadcasters could go off air due to understaffed NCC

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) The broadcasting licenses of 37 television and radio stations in Taiwan are set to expire before the end of June, which means they could be taken off air by July unless their licenses are renewed before that, according to the National Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday.

The stations involved include International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT) and TaiwanPlus, which provide audio and visual content to the nation's English speaking communities, respectively.

On Wednesday, according to NCC Secretary-General Huang Wen-che (黃文哲), who is also its spokesman, the commission remains unable to determine whether or not to renew those licenses, as the seven-member body currently has only three commissioners.

In accordance with Taiwan's National Communications Commission Organization Act, the commission requires a quorum of four to hold a meeting, which is why no such meetings have been convened to discuss the impact of multiple license expirations.

Huang added that if the broadcasting companies are unable to renew their licenses in time, such organizations would not be able to operate and transmit content as stipulated by Taiwan's Radio and Television Act and Satellite Broadcasting Act.

With local cable channels MTV Live and Nick Jr set to see their licenses run out on March 7, Huang said the NCC will meet with outside counsel on Feb. 20 to come up with prospective solutions to prevent the 37 stations from being taken off air or related countermeasures.

Huang went on to say that a number of stations have already approached the NCC about the renewal of their licenses, adding that as the current dilemma has been caused by a lack of commissioners at the commission, broadcasters can apply for administrative relief with the NCC.

As to whether the NCC has devised a response to the expiration of licenses, the commission revealed that as the law only provides temporary licenses to over-the-air channels such as Taiwan's four terrestrial television stations, other channels would most likely have to resort to frequency hopping as a potential fix.

On April 30, 2024, the Executive Yuan nominated four candidates to replace four outgoing NCC commissioners, but the Legislature's Transportation Committee declined to review the nominations. In December, the acting NCC commissioner had to step down, leaving four of the seven seats vacant and effectively paralyzing the commission.