Taiwan’s premier appeared to give a green light to an independent TV station to continue broadcasting into Asia, including mainland China, but the open road for the moment seems to have turned into a stone wall.
Since 2003, New Tang Dynasty Asia Pacific (NTD AP) Television, a media partner of The Epoch Times, has broadcast what U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) recently called a “window to the world for the Chinese people.” Since 2007, NTD AP has done so from a satellite operated by Chunghwa Telecommunications, a company in which the government of Taiwan has a controlling interest.
On April 11, Chunghwa notified NTD AP that it would not renew the satellite contract, which expires on Aug. 9. The telecom company said a new satellite it launched on May 11 did not have enough bandwidth to carry the station.
NTD AP believes that Chunghwa made the decision to please the Chinese communist regime, which objects to the station’s programming.
“NTD AP is the only 24/7 media broadcasting uncensored news and information into China that is uninfluenced by Chinese Communist Party censorship,” says Mr. Samuel Zhou, VP of NTD New York.
Legislators from the United States, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, as well as press advocacy organizations, have suspected the influence of the Chinese regime in the case. NTD AP has suggested that Chunghwa has been influenced by a series of recent business deals it has made in mainland China—deals stage managed by the regime to influence the company.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation and founder of the Taiwan Caucus, wrote in a letter to Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, “If Taiwan does not support the struggle for freedom of thought within China, I see no need for America to support Taiwan.”
Wu praised NTD AP as a “benchmark of freedom of the speech” and said the government of Taiwan wanted to assure freedom of the press and freedom of speech to NTD AP, according to NTD AP executives at the meeting.
The premier then decided that Chunghwa should provide uninterrupted satellite service to NTD AP. He specified that Chunghwa’s first priority should be to do so on its new ST-2 satellite, and if that were not possible, to do so by leasing another satellite and then subleasing it to NTD AP.
On May 26, in a meeting with NTD AP executives, Chunghwa announced that it had decided to take the second of the two options offered by the premier—leasing a satellite from another company.
That offer has been firmly refused. “Leasing bandwidth on another satellite is not acceptable,” said Theresa Chu, spokesperson for NTD AP.
Next: Why the ST-2 in particular is needed—Chinese regime interference in NTD AP operations
NTD AP has experienced several instances of the Chinese regime interfering with its operations, and in particular with its satellite broadcasts to China. On Oct. 1, 2010, the Chinese Communist Party’s National Day, the station’s China service experienced unexplained technical difficulties that NTD AP staff believe were caused by the regime.
“At the meeting with the Yuan, we made clear to the premier that only if NTD AP broadcasts on the Chunghwa-owned ST-2 would the NTD AP broadcasts be protected from interference from the Chinese communist regime. If the regime uses its influence to stop or degrade NTD AP’s broadcasts on ST-2, the Taiwan government would make sure the problems were corrected. If that happens on a satellite Chunghwa has leased from another company, NTD AP will have no recourse,” said Chu.
ST-2 replaces Chunghwa’s ST-1 satellite, on which NTD AP currently broadcasts.
According to Chunghwa’s press releases, ST-2 has more power, a better signal, and covers a wider geographical area.
Chunghwa has also claimed the new ST-2 has less bandwidth than the ST-1, the reason it cites for not being able to renew NTD AP.
NTD AP rejects the claims about reduced bandwidth. “NTD AP requires 4 MHZ of bandwidth or 2.2 percent of the total ST-2 bandwidth of 180 MHZ. Independent experts have told us that ST-2 can easily meet NTD AP’s needs,” said Chu.
After Chunghwa refused to renew NTD AP’s contract in April, the television company filed a complaint with Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC) charging that Chunghwa has violated Taiwan’s Telecommunications Act. That act requires that telecommunications companies provide customers with uninterrupted service, only deny service to telecommunications companies for due cause, and provide services in a fair and non-discriminatory manner.
The NCC initially promised an investigation, but instead has said it has performed an “administrative check.”
NCC spokesperson Chen Jeng-chang told the Taipei Times that the NCC had not yet thoroughly investigated whether Chunghwa has insufficient bandwidth to renew NTD AP’s contract.
“It has yet to come to the point where the NCC has to step in,” Chen told the Times. “We will see what Chunghwa’s decision is and handle the matter in accordance with the law.”
The inaction by the NCC, combined with the offer of leased satellite space from Chunghwa, has left NTD AP executives frustrated.
“Chunghwa has offered no proof ST-2 lacks the bandwidth to accommodate NTD AP, the government has not investigated Chunghwa’s claims, and the solution offered by Chunghwa does not offer NTD AP the protection of freedom of speech and of the press promised by Premier Wu,” said Chu.
Chu looks to the station’s supporters in Taiwan and around the world to “urge President Ma to give the station 4 MHZ on ST-2.”
At press time, Chunghwa could not be reached for comment.
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