Remarks of NCC chairperson Howard Shyr on 21st Biennial Conference of the International Telecommunications Society
Remarks of NCC chairperson Howard Shyr on 21st Biennial Conference of the International Telecommunications Society
Chairman Bohlin, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. On behalf of the National Communications Commission, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to our host, International Telecommunications Society, for all their efforts in making the ITS Biennial Conference possible, for their warm hospitality, and for gathering such a great deal of experts here in Taipei.
The development of emerging technologies has removed the boundaries between the traditional telecommunications and broadcasting industries and has resulted in one that is now truly converged: an information society with new frontiers open for innovations, new opportunities, and new challenges. These sweeping changes in communications are reflected in the astonishingly broad coverage of the agenda; from the more traditional aspects like broadband, spectrum, mobile, policy and regulation on the one hand, to the new edge issues such as OTT, social media, big data, and ICT industry 4.0 on the other — and others under spotlight, data localization, network neutrality, and privacy protection for instance.
At the era of paradigm shifting, the Regulators across the globe have found themselves in a more and more difficult position: namely, not only how to maintain an effective legal framework for the management of industries as they were for years, but also find the justifiability to do so. In order to meet those challenges, I began thinking about a new generation of laws for communications long before my reappointment as commissioner of NCC. After four years of countless debates and consultations, we were able to finalize the Convergence Communications Bill last year.
There are 3 Acts packaging in the Bill in order to maximize different layers of values and to balance interests of all stakeholders: The Electronic Communications Act provides the legal ground to protect the fundamental values of diversity, freedom of expression, and equality to access the internet; the Telecommunications Undertakings Act encourages competition by removing barriers of market entry and deregulating the undertakings except for the SMP; the Telecommunications Infrastructures and Resources Administration Act facilitates the construction and development of telecommunication network infrastructures, as well as maintains network quality, security, and reliability. The Bill also contains two sector-specific regulation Acts that maintain temporarily the oversight of terrestrial and cable broadcasting services in a way similar to what it was for decades. With significant liberalization in the foreground, they will also be merged into the 3 Acts package in the near future.
As a member of the global village, Taiwan plays an active role in multilateral trade negotiations. We are the initial party of the Trade in Service Agreement, and our government has placed high priority on participating of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. While drafting the Bill, the NCC paid much attention to and examined these international negotiations very carefully. Therefore, we have been sure to the incorporate the internationally accepted principles of non-discrimination, transparency, and the free movement of information into the Convergence Communications Bill. Although the Executive Yuan recalled all Bills sent to the parliament before May 20th in response to the request of the DPP fraction in the Legislative Yuan to reconsider all bills in the eyes of the new government, this bill stands for a fairly good chance in this prolonged deliberation because it constitutes the legal ground to help fulfill President Tsai’s plan to build a broadband-connected smart Taiwan.
For us, this event is a precious opportunity to keep up with the latest developments in the era of digital convergence and listen to the suggestions and views of the so many experts gathered here from across the globe. It is also a precious opportunity for us to contribute our own expertise and experiences, which we truly hope can be of value to you. Thank you for your attention. May we all find much success during this event and the insightful discussions that have been arranged by our wonderful hosts. Thank you.
