TAIWAN: Monopoly Game for Media Investors

The dice has been rolled. Taiwan’s government advances four spaces and lands on Boardwalk. Will they purchase it and prevent the monopoly that Taiwan’s media group is after?

Since the start of the new year, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been submitting legislation to regulate cross-media ownership. However, other players in this game such as the Transportation Committee, National Communications Commission (NCC), and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) all have been slowing the passage of DPP’s legislation.

DPP’s amendment includes limiting cross-media shareholdings and forbidding financial companies from investing in media. The amendment would apply to the Broadcasting Act, Radio and Television Act, Satellite Broadcasting Act and the Television Act.

However, the NCC did not find DPP’s amendment to be “thorough enough.” And believes that the most effective way to prevent media monopoly “is by establishing a special act to regulate it.”  Although the initial review was passed in the Transportation Committee’s Yuan Sitting, it failed to achieve approval. The NCC suggested that lawmakers should wait until they propose a well-planned amendment that is specifically designed to prevent media monopoly.

Looks like purchasing Boardwalk to prevent the monopolization of Taiwanese media will have to wait a bit longer.

Go To:
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2013/01/12/367140/NCC-criticizes.htm
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/01/03/2003551658

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