通訊事務管理局 | |
Statutory body overview | |
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Formed | 1 April 2012 |
Preceding agencies |
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Type | Statutory body |
Jurisdiction | Hong Kong |
Headquarters | Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai |
Minister responsible |
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Deputy Minister responsible |
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Key document |
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Website | coms-auth.hk |
Communications Authority | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 通訊事務管理局 | ||||||||
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The Communications Authority is a statutory body responsible for licensing and regulating the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in Hong Kong. It was formed in 2012 through a merger of the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority,Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority,and the Telecommunications Authority. The organisation is authorized to investigate complaints made regarding programmes,issue warnings and fines,or even suspend the license of the radio or television station.
The authority enforces the Broadcasting Ordinance (Cap. 562),the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106),the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (Cap. 593),Communications Authority Ordinance,and the Broadcasting (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 391).
The regulatory agency is ostensibly independent of the government, [1] but its executive functions are supported by the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA),a government department with a self-funding trust structure. [2] [3] In 2020,the Communications Authority issued a statement against RTHK concerning a comedy show for purportedly "denigrating and insulting" the Hong Kong Police Force. [4]
In 2023,the agency recommended to the Chief Executive that free-to-air broadcasters transmit 30 minutes of patriotic and national security programming every week;the Chief Executive,John Lee,accepted the idea and made it mandatory. [5]
In July 2023,the agency proposed that national security media be exempt from a requirement that programs be impartial with "even-handedness," as well as certain media from mainland China. [6]
The CA is headed by a chair and 11 other members:
The current Board of the CA [7] consist of:
Similar bodies around the world are:
Communications in Hong Kong includes a wide-ranging and sophisticated network of radio,television,telephone,Internet,and related online services,reflecting Hong Kong's thriving commerce and international importance.
Hong Kong's media consists of several different types of communications of mass media:television,radio,cinema,newspapers,magazines,websites and other online platforms.
The Education Bureau (EDB) is responsible for formulating and implementing education policies in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA) is the professional regulatory body for barristers in Hong Kong. The Law Society of Hong Kong is the equivalent association for solicitors in Hong Kong.
The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a part of the legal system of Hong Kong. It consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance;it deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. It is a superior court of record of unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction. It was named the Supreme Court before 1997. Though previously named the Supreme Court,this Court has long been the local equivalent to the Senior Courts of England and Wales and has never been vested with the power of final adjudication.
The Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong is responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. After the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty of the territory in July 1997,Hong Kong's immigration system remained largely unchanged from its British predecessor model. Residents from mainland China do not have the right of abode in Hong Kong,nor can they enter the territory freely,both before and after 1997. There are different regulations that apply to residents of Macau,another Special Administrative Region of China. In addition,visa-free entry acceptance regulations into Hong Kong for passport holders of some 170 countries remain unchanged before and after 1997.
The Security Bureau is a body of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for policies of the maintenance of law and order,exercising immigration and customs control,rehabilitating offenders and drug abusers,and providing emergency fire and rescue services.
In general,there is relatively little Internet censorship in Hong Kong beyond laws that criminalize the distribution of unlicensed copyrighted material and obscene images,particularly child pornography when compared to the rest of China. The Hong Kong Bill of Rights elaborates on these and other rights enjoyed by the people of Hong Kong.Although Hong Kong law provides freedom of speech and press,and freedom of expression is protected by the Hong Kong Bill of Rights,the Hong Kong national security law gives the government the power to "take down any electronic messages published" that the government considers endangering national security. The government has blocked several anti-government,doxxing or politically sensitive websites after the commencement of the law,leading to increased concerns of Internet censorship in Hong Kong.
The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) is an executive arm of the Communications Authority in Hong Kong. It is the body responsible for telecommunications regulation,antitrust enforcement and allocation of the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for policy matters on Hong Kong's external commercial relations,inward investment promotion,intellectual property protection,industry and business support,tourism,consumer protection and competition,as well as broadcasting,film-related issues,overall view of creative industries,development of telecommunications,and control of obscene and indecent articles in Hong Kong.
The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau is a ministerial-level policy bureaux of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the implementation of the Basic Law,including electoral matters and promotion of equal opportunities and privacy protection. The bureau also functions as the intermediary between the HKSAR Government and the Central People's Government and other Mainland authorities under the principles of "One Country,Two Systems",including the coordination of liaison between the HKSAR Government and Central authorities,promoting regional co-operation initiatives between Hong Kong and the Mainland,and overseeing the operation of offices of the HKSAR Government on the Mainland.
Hong Kong Technology Venture Company Limited is a Hong Kong-based technology company primarily known for its e-commerce platform and once had plans to become a television station. HKTV currently provides an over-the-top shopping and entertainment ("shoppertainment") platform named HKTVMall.
Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) is a free,non-profit news website based in Hong Kong. It was co-founded in 2015 by Tom Grundy,who believed that the territory's press freedom was in decline,to provide an alternative to the dominant English-language news source,the South China Morning Post,and to cover the pro-democracy movement.
TVBully refers to the monopolistic market dominance of free-to-air television in Hong Kong. Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) was blamed for this monopolization and this phenomenon had been a huge challenge for the operation of TVB. ATV has also complained about TVB's monopoly abuse.
John Lee Ka-chiu is a Hong Kong politician and former police officer who is the 5th and current Chief Executive of Hong Kong.
Chris Tang Ping-keung is a Hong Kong law enforcement administrator who has been serving as the Secretary for Security of Hong Kong since June 2021. Tang joined the Hong Kong Police Force in 1987 immediately after his graduation from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a bachelor of social science in social work. He previously served as the Commissioner of Police of Hong Kong from 2019 to 2021,Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) from 2018 to 2019,and Director of Operations of the Hong Kong Police Force from 2017 to 2018.
Paul Lam Ting-kwok is a Hong Kong Senior Counsel who is the current Secretary for Justice.
Winnie Ho Wing-yin is the current Secretary for Housing in Hong Kong,appointed on 1 July 2022 as part of John Lee's administration.