LEGISLATORS said yesterday they feared there would be no policy on the deregulation of subscription television before Cable TV's monopoly expired at the end of May. 'As we can see the review involves a lot of steps and every step is quite complicated,' Liberal Party legislator Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee told a recreation and culture panel meeting. 'I think it's impossible for the Government to decide on a policy before June 1 next year.' But Deputy Secretary for Broadcasting, Entertainment and Administration Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan told her the Government would have enough time to consult the public and the Chinese Government. Consultants are now studying the potential of the market and the economic impact of deregulation. New Secretary for Recreation and Culture Brian Chau Tak-hay said he would consider releasing a summary of the consultants' report when it was completed in mid-January. And Mrs Lau said the Government would study the report's preliminary findings and publish a consultative paper at the end of February seeking views from the broadcasting industry, the Broadcasting Authority and the Legislative Council. The consultation period would last four to five weeks. However, panel chairman Elizabeth Wong Chien Chi-lien and member Albert Chan Wai-yip remained dissatisfied at the lack of a concrete timetable from the Government. Mr Chan, a Democratic Party legislator, was concerned about the fairness of competition in the subscription television market. 'How can another company suddenly burst out from a rock on June 1 even if the Government decided to allow new operators to tender for licence? 'It's impossible to have enough time,' he said.
