53
+
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1994
COMMITMENTS UNDERLINE TURNING TO AIRPORT SERVICES, MY POLICY THE GOVERNMENT'S DETERMINATION TO KEEP KAI TAK AIRPORT FUNCTIONING AT MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY, WHILE PRESSING AHEAD WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR BELIEVING! NEW AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK. ON THE WORKS SIDE, SEEING IS
HAS NOW OVER 850 HECTARES OR SOME 70% OF THE TOTAL AIRPORT ISLAND
OF THE PASSENGER TERMINAL BEEN
WORK ON THE FOUNDATIONS FORMED.
WORKS ARE SCHEDULED BUILDING IS UNDERWAY COMMENCE EARLY NEXT YEAR.
AND SUPERSTRUCTURAL
TO
18
AIRPORT AUTHORITY ON NON-WORKS ASPECTS, THE PROVISIONAL PRESSING AHEAD WITH FRANCHISE AWARD PROCESS FOR MAJOR SUPPORT SERVICES AIRCRAFT CATERING AND INCLUDING
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE, AIR CARGO,
INFORMED OF AVIATION FUEL. WE ARE KEEPING THE CHINESE SIDE CLOSELY
INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS
WILL AND FRANCHISES.
BEGINNING
BE CONSULTING THEM ON
THE
OF AWARD
то
HELD AT THE
ON THE AIRPORT BILL, WE ARE CURRENTLY CONSIDERING REVISIONS THE WHITE BILL IN THE LIGHT OF COMMENTS RECEIVED FROM THE CHINESE SIDE AND FROM THE PUBLIC DURING THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE
OF THIS YEAR. WE AIM TO INTRODUCE A BLUE BILL COUNCIL BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR WITH A VIEW TO IN THIS REGARD, I AM GRATEFUL TO MR BARROW FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE NEED
BILL AIRPORT
IN HIGH GIVE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMME THIS YEAR.
TO
PRIORITY TO
THE
EARLY
THIS
INTO THIS ENACTMENT.
COUNCIL'S
RELATING
ΤΟ FOSTERING
AT
DR HUANG CHEN-YA AND DR SAMUEL WONG TOUCHED ON ISSUES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE. LET US BE CLEAR: WHILE GOVERNMENT IS TOTALLY COMMITTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WIDEST RANGE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
PROVIDING COMPETITIVE PRICES, WE ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF DIRECTLY
THIS IS A TASK WHICH IS CARRIED THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SUCH SERVICES. OUT MUCH MORE EFFICIENTLY AND COST-EFFECTIVELY BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
OTHER
IN THE
IN
LAGGING BEHIND THE SO-CALLED SUCH
ADDITION, ENABLING
CONCERNS,
OPTICAL
BE DR HUANG IS CONCERNED THAT HONG KONG MAY
REGIONAL
OF ECONOMIES
DEVELOPMENT THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR "INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAYS". HONG KONG ALREADY HAS ONE OF THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE BROADBAND FIBRE
ANY NETWORKS OF
CITY IN THE WORLD. TELEPHONE
ARE FULLY DIGITALIZED, THUS EXCHANGES COMPANIES TO OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SOME 300 COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS ARE ALREADY DIRECTLY CONNECTED HONG KONG TELEPHONE COMPANY'S OPTICAL FIBRE NETWORK, WITH THE THAT THEIR TENANTS CAN CONVENIENTLY ACCESS BROADBAND CAPABILITY.
SERVICES, I HAVE NO THE ADDED IMPETUS OF COMPETITION IN FIXED NETWORK
BRINGING DOUBT THAT THE NEXT FEW YEARS WILL SEE A RAPID MOVE TOWARDS THE BENEFITS OF OPTICAL FIBRE TECHNOLOGY INTO INDIVIDUAL HOMES.
ALL OUR TELEPHONE SERVICES.
TO THE RESULT WITH
MARKET, WE
AS REGARDS COMPETITION IN OUR TELECOMMUNICATIONS
POSITION PAPER WHICH PUBLISHED IN JANUARY THIS YEAR A GOVERNMENT REVIEWED DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE MAJOR POLICY ANNOUNCEMENTS OF 1992 AND MAPPED OUT, AMONGST OTHER THINGS, THE REGULATORY PRINCIPLES WHICH WILL SERVICES. THE GUIDE THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPETITIVE FIXED NETWORK
ISSUES AS INTERCONNECTION PAPER REFERRED, IN PARTICULAR, TO SUCH
BY CUSTOMER ACCESS AND MEASURES TO PREVENT ANTI-COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOUR
THE FREE DOMINANT OPERATOR. IN SUM, OUR INTENTION IS TO PROMOTE
REGULATORS HAVE THE PLAY OF MARKET FORCES WHILE ENSURING THAT OUR POWERS THEY NEED TO STEP IN, IF NECESSARY, TO ENSURE FAIR PLAY.
A
/AS MADE