WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1986
IT WAS ASSERTED THAT A CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE COULD OFFER THE PURCHASER A GREATER CHOICE OF PROGRAMMES THAN PROVIDED OVER THE AIR, HE SAID.
+THIS WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL EVALUATION BECAUSE, IF IT PROVED POPULAR, IT WOULD CLEARLY HAVE A FAR-REACHING EFFECT UPON THE EXISTING TELEVISION BROADCAST STATIONS, HE ADDED.
SIR DAVID NOTED THAT DR CHAM HAD DRAWN ATTENTION TO SATELLITE BROADCAST RECEPTION SYSTEMS AND TO RECENT IMPROVEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY.
IT MIGHT BE, HE ADDED, WITH THE HIGH-DENSITY, HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL AREAS, AND THE PREVALENT USE OF COMMUNAL AERIALS IN THESE HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS, THAT ECONOMIES OF SCALE WOULD MAKE THE SE SYSTEMS MORE VIABLE IN HONG KONG.
+IT WILL, THEREFORE, BE ESSENTIAL TO REAPPRAISE THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT ON CABLEVISION AND SATELLITE BROADCASTING IN THE LIGHT OF THESE FRESH DEVELOPMENTS, HE SAID.
NOTING THAT SOME OF THE BOARD'S PROPOSALS HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF A VIGOROUS PUBLIC DEBATE, SIR DAVID SAID, THE OBJECTIVE NOW IS TO SEE BEYOND THE CONTROVERSIES, TO AVOID BEING SWAYED BY EMOTION AND TENDENTIOUS ARGUMENTS, AND TO TAKE A COOL LOOK AT THE REAL ISSUES IN ORDER TO ARRIVE AT SOLUTIONS WHICH WILL BE WELCOMED BY THE PUBLIC AND, VIEWED DISPASSIONATELY, ACCEPTED BY THE PRIVATE INTERESTS INVOLVED.+
HE SAID THE RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE BOARD, THE VIEWS OF MEMBERS EXPRESSED TODAY, OTHER REPRESENTATIONS THAT HAD BEEN MADE AND THE NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE IMPLICATIONS OF CABLEVISION AND SATELLITE BROADCASTING HAD ALL TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER BY THE GOVERNMENT.
SIR DAVID SAID, +CONCLUSIONS MUST BE REACHED IN THE LIGHT OF THE ADVICE RECEIVED AND THESE CONCLUSIONS MUST BE PUBLICLY EXPLAINED.
+WHATEVER DECISIONS ARE TAKEN, THEY MUST BE TAKEN IN WITH THE AIM OF IMPROVING THE INDUSTRY, OF FOSTERING ITS GROWTH AND ITS COMPETITIVENESS, ITS SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY, ITS CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE, TO ENJOYMENT, TO INFORMATION AND ITS SERVICES TO THE PEOPLE.+
SIR DAVID THANKED MEMBERS WHO FORMED AN AD-HOC GROUP TO STUDY THE REPORT, ADDING THAT THEIR OBSERVATIONS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE AN INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION.
HE ALSO THANKED THE HON MR JUSTICE POWER AND THE MEMBERS OF THE REVIEW BOARD FOR THEIR AWARENESS OF THE HEAVY RESPONSIBILITY PLACED UPON THEM AND FOR PROVIDING SUCH A COMPREHENSIVE AND THOUGHT- PROVOKING DOCUMENT.