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Functional Constituencies Councilors refused to open air waves?

About Public Radio Broadcast

The Hong Kong Government has issued only 3 radio broadcast licenses (Commercial Radio, Metro Radio and Wave Media), allowing 14 free-to-air audio broadcast channels. In terms of quantity, radio services in Hong Kong are way behind from most of Western and Southeast Asian regions (i.e. 173 in Taiwan, 442 in Australia and our figures is similar to North Korea).

Entity	Broadcast since	Number of Channels Provided	Nature
RTHK	1928	7	Public
Commercial Radio	1959	3	Private
Metro Radio	1991	3
Wave Media	2008	1 (Yet in service)
	Total	13 + 1

Possibility of Opening Up Air Waves

According to the standard of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority, air wave frequencies have yet been saturated in Hong Kong. Air wave resources have much room to be utilized. If digital broadcasting were conducted, bandwidths would be increased as well. Nonetheless, licensing mechanism has limited civil and commercial sectors to enhance respecting technologies. The authority has yet allowed any person to develop new technologies to provide free and open air waves and the government has no intention to initiate such research as well. This is unjustified, wasted air waves resources and exploited rights of the people to enjoy freedom of speech in air waves.

However, in the debate of motion ‘Open Up Air Waves’proposed by Hon. Albert Chan in 2006, former representatives from Tourism Functional Constituency Howard Young has said a puzzled view as air frequencies have been saturated. In addition, Hon. Young supported competition in local television market but voted against the motion which has no legal binding forces. The motion has been negative under grouped vote counting, with 12 FC councilors voted against the motion.

Recently, 3 paid television operators have applied for free-to-air television licenses. If the FC councilors have vetoed such application in panels, letting free competition in absent, audiences would remain their status quo as to watch or not. Such situation would keep people have very few options. Because of the reasons above, Community Development Initiative has started the campaign against free-to-air television channels monopoly with other civil society organizations. It is hoped that the campaign can join forces together and press the government to open up air waves as soon as possible. This would empower citizens with choices and stop monopoly being reinforced by political power.

To know more about the petition, please go to www.cdiorg.hk