Cable TV Broadcaster Reauthorization Pre-Consent Deadline Missed
Resolution Needed but "Meeting Cannot Be Held with One Person"
The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) missed the deadline for processing the preliminary consent for the reauthorization of relay cable broadcasting operators (RO) due to being unable to hold meetings under a single-member system. ROs are broadcasters that retransmit terrestrial broadcasts.
On the 15th, the KCC announced that it failed to notify the Ministry of Science and ICT of the result regarding the preliminary consent for the reauthorization of Shinan Cable Broadcasting (Bigeum and Dochodo-myeon, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do), a relay cable broadcasting operator whose license expires on the 16th.
Earlier, on September 11, the Ministry of Science and ICT requested the KCC to provide preliminary consent for the reauthorization of Shinan Cable Broadcasting in accordance with the Broadcasting Act. In this case, the KCC must resolve the related matter and notify the Ministry of Science and ICT of the result by the expiration date of the operator’s license, which is the 16th.
The KCC stated, "Although internal review was completed, we were unable to hold a meeting with only one standing commissioner, so we could not process the task within the deadline." Chairman Lee Jin-sook of the KCC is undergoing impeachment proceedings, so the KCC is currently operating under a single-member system with Kim Tae-gyu acting as the interim chairman.
Accordingly, the KCC plans to cooperate with the Ministry of Science and ICT to ensure that Shinan Cable Broadcasting does not suffer disadvantages due to exceeding the license validity period.
Acting Chairman Kim said, "I regret that the KCC, currently operating under a single-member system, is unable to make decisions regarding preliminary consent for the reauthorization of pay broadcasting operators," adding, "I hope the KCC will be normalized soon so that urgent issues affecting people’s livelihoods and important decisions can be addressed."
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