ENG-1994 — Page 412

362

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA), established on July 1, 1993, is responsible for the regulation of the telecommunications sector in Hong Kong. It is headed by the Director-General of Telecommunications, who has been concurrently appointed by the Governor as the Telecommunications Authority under the Telecommunication Ordinance. The Director-General of Telecommunications administers the Telecommunica- tion Ordinance and the Telephone Ordinance, which govern the establishment and operation of all telecommunications services. He also acts as an adviser to the government on matters concerning the development of public telecommunications services, and is a member of the Broadcasting Authority.

OFTA is also responsible for the overall planning, allocation and assignment of the radio spectrum in the territory. Under the Telecommunication Ordinance, OFTA issues licences for all forms of radio communications in Hong Kong. Other associated functions include the investigation and elimination of radio interference, the co-ordination of the use of radio frequencies with neighbouring countries, and the inspection and type-approval of radio equipment to ensure its suitability for use in Hong Kong. In order to enhance the OFTA spectrum management computer system, a topographic database was established in 1994.

OFTA also provides advisory and planning services for the communications requirements of government departments and subvented institutions, co-ordinates and regulates the use of radio communications sites, monitors the technical performance of broadcast services, investigates complaints concerning broadcast reception quality, and provides technical advice to the government in the formulation of broadcasting policies.

Broadcasting

Policy

The principal objective is to enable the public to enjoy the widest possible choice of high quality television and radio programmes at affordable prices. This is translated into three main aims: to provide conditions in which all broadcasters can freely pursue their business in a fair and equitable environment; to safeguard media freedom through diversity and to protect viewers' interests through the enforcement of programming standards that reflect community standards of taste and decency.

The year 1994 was a busy one. Work was in hand to update and consolidate existing broadcasting legislation; a policy review was conducted on various aspects of terrestrial and satellite television; a mid-term review of the licences of the two wireless terrestrial television broadcasters was conducted; and work had begun on developing a regulatory framework for video-on-demand and other personalised broadcasting services. At the same time, a number of investors, both local and international, expressed interest in using Hong Kong as a base to broadcast television services to the Asia-Pacific region. Arrangements were made to enable some of these to launch their satellite television networks by using the uplinking facilities of Hong Kong Telecom International Limited. All these developments helped to reinforce Hong Kong's role as a media hub for Asia.

Television Broadcasting

Commercial Television

Television viewing remained Hong Kong's most popular leisure activity in 1994, with virtually every household possessing one or more television sets. Eighty-eight per cent of