************************************************************
In response to media enquiries today (July 27) on the introduction of Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2009, a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said the following:
"The public have a reasonable expectation that our licensing regime in respect of sound broadcasting services is transparent and that the criteria used to determine licence applications are clear. In this regard, the Administration decided to put into the relevant legislation the set of criteria that are used when considering all sound broadcasting licence applications. These criteria are not new, they are merely a replication of the administrative guidelines that have hitherto been used by the Broadcasting Authority and the Chief Executive in Council in precedent cases.
"To provide for legal certainty, we have decided to take the step to prescribe these criteria by law through introduction into Legislative Council of the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2009. We believe that this approach is straightforward and it will provide an appropriate opportunity to ensure that Legislative Council members can voice their views on the guidelines during the Bills Committee. We hope that this discussion will commence after the summer recess. In the meantime, we are happy to explain these technical amendments to Members if they wish."
Ends/Monday, July 27, 2009
Issued at HKT 19:23
NNNN
