Top Biz News

Telecom law not yet in sight

By Li Weitao (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-02-28 09:29

The long-awaited telecommunications law is unlikely to be submitted for voting at the National People's Congress (NPC), which will open next month, industry sources said.

"There is a slim chance the telecommunications law will be passed this year," said an official with the Ministry of Information Industry (MII), who was involved in drafting the law.

The telecommunications law has been at the draft stage for over 20 years. The MII submitted a final version to the State Council for evaluation in 2004. And last year the standing committee of the NPC listed the telecommunications law as one of its top priorities, buoying hopes it will be passed soon.

According to China's legislation process, a draft law must be evaluated by the standing committee three times before it can be submitted to the NPC for voting.

"So far, the draft has yet to be put on the table of the NPC standing committee," said the MII official, who did not wish to be named.

As the standing committee evaluation usually takes about six months, the draft telecommunications law will not be discussed at this year's NPC, the source said.

Disagreements on the regulatory framework of the increasingly converged information industry have stalled the legislation process, the MII official said. "Telecom and broadcasting authorities have yet to reach a consensus on how to regulate the industries."