Ms. Sheila Paskman, Public Affairs Section Chief and the Spokesperson for AIT, and Mr. Alan Tousignant, Economic Section Chief of AIT, along with other colleagues paid a courtesy call to Dr. Herng Su, the Chairperson of NCC, on Tuesday, Sep. 14, 2010.

The parties extensively discussed communication supervision policies, particularly some of the challenges that NCC is currently facing, the progress of regulatory development to facilitate digital convergence, and the digital switchover of television service.

Dr. Su described how NCC is facing several significant challenges, including how to determine the most effective licensing plan for mobile television, the second stage of license release for digital television, and the acceleration of reviews and amendments of regulations in light of the development of digital convergence and integration of three major networks including broadcasting, telecommunications, and Internet.

To date, NCC has made certain adjustments on the regulatory framework for the development of convergence, and short, medium and long-term goals have been established. In the short-term the existing vertical control framework shall remain while the obstacles in individual regulations that stand on the way of convergence are being eliminated. The medium-term goal is to improve the existing control framework by combining the regulatory framework of radio and television services but still remain separated from telecommunications. Plans comprise the coordination of legal systems to ensure consistent regulations across broadcasting, new media services and value-added services. The long-term goal is to establish a digital convergence framework based on horizontal control, including content application service, communications service and the supervisory regulations for the basic network.

After a warm and enthusiastic discussion, both sides stressed their commitment to greater interaction and cooperation in the future.