離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》FCC official in Taiwan, AIT confirms
US Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr testifies during a hearing at the US House of Representatives in Washington on March 31. Photo: AFP
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
The National Communications Commission （NCC） yesterday remained tight-lipped about US Federal Communications Commission （FCC） Commissioner Brendan Carr’s visit to the agency, after the American Institute in Taiwan （AIT） confirmed the visit.
The AIT confirmed that Carr arrived in Taiwan yesterday and would stay until tomorrow, adding that he would discuss telecommunications, cybersecurity and other issues of concern to both countries with Taiwanese officials.
US news Web site Axios, which reported on the visit, said that Carr is to meet with officials at the NCC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We have seen the news report about the visit, but we cannot comment on the specifics,” NCC Deputy Chairman and spokesperson Wong Po-tsung （翁柏宗） said.
If he visits the NCC, Carr would be the highest-level US communications official to visit the agency since it was founded in 2006, Wong said.
Carr has suggested that the US government ban the use of Chinese social media platform TikTok, citing data security risks.
Asked whether this would be one of the issues discussed during the visit, Wong told reporters that issues involving Chinese over-the-top （OTT） service operators are to be addressed as per the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area （臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例）.
The commission would consult officials at the Mainland Affairs Council, the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs on relevant issues on a case-by-case basis, Wong added.
In January, Carr and then-NCC commissioner Yeali Sun （孫雅麗） had a video call on 5G and cybersecurity issues, the commission said.
Aside from being an outspoken critic of Tiktok, Carr says that OTT operators should be asked to jointly fund universal telecommunications services, along with telecoms, Wong said.
“Given my position at the FCC, I look forward in particular to deepening the collaboration with Taiwan and sharing views on network resiliency, cyber and telecom issues that are vital to our shared security interests,” Carr told Axios.
He also told the site that he hopes his visit sends a strong message that “a free and democratic Taiwan — one that is independent from the [Chinese Communist Party’s] brutal authoritarianism — is vital to America’s own prosperity,” adding that Taiwan’s chip industry is also important to US interests and economic growth.
Carr is one of five FCC commissioners who regulate interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 US states, Washington and US territories.
It is an independent federal government agency overseen by the US Congress, responsible for implementing and enforcing US communications law and regulations.
Additional reporting by CNA
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
