Parliamentary committee demands clarification on ‘radio equipment’

The parliamentary committee responsible for reviewing the Bill for the Radio Communication Legal Regime demands clearer stipulations on the relevant equipment, president Vong Hin Fai disclosed yesterday.

Vong held a press briefing after committee meeting on the Bill yesterday. Yesterday’s meeting covered proposals related to the accreditation and sale licensing of the equipment, Vong said.

During the briefing, Vong disclosed that some committee members suggested the government make clearer description of radio communication equipment in the text of the Bill.

The main concern of committee members is the broad scope of the equipment dealt with in the Bill. For example, cellphones are among equipment that transmit and receive data using radio frequency. Therefore, committee members wanted the government to clarify if cellphones would be included in the jurisdiction of the future law – alongside installations with higher technical standards such as radio and TV signal transmitters – or if they would be excluded and thus governed only by laws concerning cellphone services.

Moreover, as the Bill proposes that such transmitting or receiving equipment must be approved by the authorities before being sold or used, the committee is concerned with the manner in which the approval procedures will be conducted, as well as whether such equipment can be sold online. Another question raised by the committee related to the regulations on wholesalers or retailers not registered in Macau.

Vong also disclosed that the committee wondered why the Bill has no reference whatsoever to the production, research and development of such equipment, and only the sale of such equipment is covered.

With the government aiming to develop new and sophisticated technology in Macau as part of its economic diversification strategies, the committee president said the probability of Macau developing such equipment in the future could not be ruled out.

The committee also discussed the exportation of expired equipment and the moral review of license applicants and equipment operators.