Deal Sought to Continue Independent Broadcasts to Mainland China
An independent TV station broadcasting uncensored news into Asia, including mainland China, via a Taiwan-controlled satellite has since early April faced the prospect of going off the air on Aug. 9. A bipartisan coalition of Taiwan legislators has urged keeping the station on the air and a U.S. congressman has sketched the outlines of a possible deal. So far their efforts have not borne fruit.
Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) formally notified New Tang Dynasty Asia Pacific (NTD AP) on April 12 that it would not renew NTD APs satellite contract, citing insufficient bandwidth as the reason for no longer carrying the station.
CHT says its circumstances have changed due to the scheduled deployment of a new satellite, ST-2, which takes the place of its ST-1 satellite from which NTD AP currently broadcasts. CHT has claimed that the ST-2 has less bandwidth available than the ST-1 and so it is forced to deny service to some current customers.
NTD AP has suggested that the problem is not a lack of bandwidth, but a lack of desire on the part of CHT to resist entreaties from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime. CHT has recently signed business deals on the mainland.
The CCP has sought to shut down NTD APs broadcasts since they began in 2003. NTD AP provides millions inside mainland China with uncensored news that is otherwise not available, including reports on human rights abuses and Party corruption and misdeeds.
The Taiwan government appoints a majority of CHTs directors, making the government ultimately responsible for how this dispute is resolved.
Taiwans legislators sided with NTD AP in a budget resolution passed out of committee on June 1.
The resolution notes that ST-2 is the only satellite controlled by the Taiwanese government and says the decision of whether to lease space on it to NTD AP raises fundamental constitutional issues.
The resolution begins by quoting a decision by Taiwans Judicial Yuan, the Constitu! tional C ourt, Freedom of speech is the very foundation of a constitutional democracy. Radio and television broadcasts are important media through which people may express their thoughts and opinions, thereby allowing public opinion to be expressed.
The resolution then says that on the basis of the Judicial Yuans decision, Governments safeguarding the expressions of independent media is upholding the core values of freedom of speech and freedom of press protected by the Constitution of a democratic society.
After reviewing the details of the NTD AP-CHT controversy, the resolution concludes, We ask the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to urge CHT to continue to sign the contract providing the ST-2 satellite service with NTD APTV.
The resolution is signed by several individual legislators, the caucus of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the speaker of the Legislative Yuanthe head of Taiwans legislative branchMr. Wang Jin-pyng.
Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) formally notified New Tang Dynasty Asia Pacific (NTD AP) on April 12 that it would not renew NTD APs satellite contract, citing insufficient bandwidth as the reason for no longer carrying the station.
CHT says its circumstances have changed due to the scheduled deployment of a new satellite, ST-2, which takes the place of its ST-1 satellite from which NTD AP currently broadcasts. CHT has claimed that the ST-2 has less bandwidth available than the ST-1 and so it is forced to deny service to some current customers.
NTD AP has suggested that the problem is not a lack of bandwidth, but a lack of desire on the part of CHT to resist entreaties from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime. CHT has recently signed business deals on the mainland.
The CCP has sought to shut down NTD APs broadcasts since they began in 2003. NTD AP provides millions inside mainland China with uncensored news that is otherwise not available, including reports on human rights abuses and Party corruption and misdeeds.
The Taiwan government appoints a majority of CHTs directors, making the government ultimately responsible for how this dispute is resolved.
Taiwans legislators sided with NTD AP in a budget resolution passed out of committee on June 1.
The resolution notes that ST-2 is the only satellite controlled by the Taiwanese government and says the decision of whether to lease space on it to NTD AP raises fundamental constitutional issues.
The resolution begins by quoting a decision by Taiwans Judicial Yuan, the Constitu! tional C ourt, Freedom of speech is the very foundation of a constitutional democracy. Radio and television broadcasts are important media through which people may express their thoughts and opinions, thereby allowing public opinion to be expressed.
The resolution then says that on the basis of the Judicial Yuans decision, Governments safeguarding the expressions of independent media is upholding the core values of freedom of speech and freedom of press protected by the Constitution of a democratic society.
After reviewing the details of the NTD AP-CHT controversy, the resolution concludes, We ask the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to urge CHT to continue to sign the contract providing the ST-2 satellite service with NTD APTV.
The resolution is signed by several individual legislators, the caucus of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the speaker of the Legislative Yuanthe head of Taiwans legislative branchMr. Wang Jin-pyng.
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NTD AP has rejected this offer, saying that its broadcasts will only be protected from interference by the Chinese regime if they issue from the Taiwan-controlled ST-2.
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