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However, we are not resting on our laurels. We fully realise that our existing broadcasting legislation, being technology based, is wanting. Furthermore, as it is scattered in three different Ordinances, namely the Television Ordinance, the Telecommunication Ordinance and the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance, it is difficult for any new broadcasters to focus. We have therefore started examining our broadcasting legislation some 2 years ago with a view to bringing about a comprehensive and more up-to-date piece of legislation to regulate the industry. The result of this exercise is the recent production of a first draft of a piece of legislation which aims to achieve the following:
First, to bring all relevant legislation governing the licensing of all types of broadcasters under one comprehensive piece of legislation;
Secondly, to turn the fundamental philosophy of regulating the broadcasting industry from one based on technology to one based on programmes to ensure that the legislation could cope with the rapid technological changes in the industry in future; and
Lastly, to deal with and further clarify the issues of foreign and cross- media ownership to reflect the status of Hong Kong as the broadcasting centre of Asia.
We are now carefully studying this new piece of draft legislation with a view to bringing it forward to this Council in the next session for consideration and debate after we have consulted the industry. Some Members have criticised us for not moving fast enough and have said that part of the delay was due to difficulties arising from consultation with the Chinese. I fully appreciate Members' sentiments here, and would just like to say that this is a highly complex and difficult piece of legislation to draft; a task made more difficult by the rapid development and changes, especially in technology, in the industry in the last few years. The slow progress is entirely the result of this factor and has nothing to do with difficulties arising from consultation with the Chinese. Indeed, we have not started consultation with the Chinese on the draft legislation. We are not ready yet, but we will certainly have to consult them at some stage before finalising the legislation for enactment.. I would however like to assure Members that we have now got a clear working draft, and I shall exert my best endeavour to bring this piece of draft legislation to this Council in the next session for Members' scrutiny.