World Information Society Day (WISD)

This year, there was a series of functions for the celebration of WISD between April and June.

SMS Composition Contest
The SMS Composition contest was the first event which ended on 24 April 2007. About 500 submissions were received and the top-20 compositions selected by the judging panel were open for free downloading. Please visit the thematic website for more details.

The Launch Ceremony of WISD

More than 100 celebrities from various sub-sectors of the ICT industry attended the ceremony on 17 May 2007. Government officials showed their full support to the event and gave opening remark and presentations to the participants. The prize of the SMS Composition Contest was also presented to the winners at the ceremony.

?WISD-HK got fully support from the ICT industry. Representatives from sponsors and supporting organizations celebrated WISD at the launch ceremony. [More event photos]

Telecom Tour

Telecom Tour was a half-day tour that was arranged on 18 and 19 May for the youth to know more about the ICT development in Hong Kong. Over 400 students from 27 secondary schools and tertiary institutions visited the prohibited areas of various ICT companies and important information infrastructure.

The list of sites (in alphabetical order) :

• ASTRI
• China Mobile Peoples Telephone Co. Ltd.
• Cyberport
• Hutchison GlobalCenter
• i-CABLE Communications Ltd.
• New World Telecommunications Limited
• OFTA Radio Monitoring Unit
• PCCW eCenter
• PCCW IT Service Management Center
• REACH Earth Station
• SmarTone-Vodafone

I, together with students from IVE-Sha Tin, visited the OFTA Radio Monitoring Unit on 19 May

CAHK Trophy

CAHK Trophy was held on 2 June 2007. With an aim to raise the interest and awareness on ICT, participants were required to show their understanding at 3 fields: ICT technical development / knowledge, ICT industry development/ overview and ICT policy overview.

There were totally 7 teams from 5 tertiary institutes joined the competition. After a 2-hour competition, the Department of Electronic Engineering from the Chinese University of Hong Kong won the championship. Each member of the team received a summer internship (with HKD5500 allowance) at a leading ICT company. It surely was a great experience of all participants.

Left:         A group photo with all the participants and guests.
Right:       Participants were trying their best during the competition. [More event photos]

Digital Agenda Forum

In response to the controversy the consultation paper of the Copyright Law review brings, the Digital Agenda Forum: the challenge of copyright in digital age was held on 26 April 2007. Over 110 representatives from the ICT sectors and copyright concern groups attended the event and exchanged their opinions on various topics during the roundtable discussion.

The forum was just a beginning for the discussion because the administration might take a long time to review the views collected during public consultation. I welcomed more events or activities to be held in future to facilitate the stakeholders of different sectors to reach a consensus.

[Programme & presentation materials] [More Event Photos]

WiFi Radiation effort

In response to the public concerns about the WiFi radiation, I held a press briefing on 23 April 2007 and referred to a recent research report published by the public health experts of World Health Organization.  As it stated, our best scientific understanding shows that public exposures to permissible Radio Frequency levels from base stations, mobile telephony and local wireless networks are not likely to harmfully affect human health. This viewpoint was consistent with numerous public health researches on the safety of wireless technology which conducted by public health agencies from various countries.

To encourage the use of wireless technologies and to remove unnecessary public anxiety, I urge the government to improve the information transparency by making the followings available to the public,

1. the potential health impact brought by WiFi network radiation;
2. the level of radiation energy released by the base stations and ionizing radiation system;
3. user safety guide and
4. the latest related researches.

For more details, please refer to my article (In Chinese only).

Publication of Newsletter

The printed version newsletter MONitOR. (In Chinese only) was published recently. With the cover story in 10-year development of the copyright law, it highlighted my recent work, such as the public consultation on 2007 Digital 21 Strategy, the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Broadcasting Service, follow-ups on the undersea cables breakdown, IT for Youth Campaign, and 2007/08 Budget.

Errata
P.10 - The digital terristerial television broadcasting standard that will be adopted in Hong Kong should be DMB-H/T instead of DVB-H/T. We apologize for any confusion caused.

Government WiFi programme

Our government finally accepted our suggestions on developing Hong Kong as a wireless city. HK$210 million will be spent over the next two years for installing WiFi networks in government venues for free public use.

By creating a critical mass of users for driving up the utilization, it is a key step to promote a wider use of wireless technology among the public. More business opportunities will be opened up for both the ICT sector and also other industries.

But we should do more in order to fully unleash the potential WiFi facilities. Possible options include the adoption of interactive, location-based solutions for public services and information. Certainly, an effective and coordinated regulation for converging telecommunication services is needed for better future development.

Consultation on Digital Broadcasting: Mobile TV

The consultation aimed at seeking views from the public on the introduction and regulation of mobile TV on four major regulatory aspects, namely, spectrum availability, spectrum allocation, spectrum assignment and licensing arrangements. Submissions can be sent to wwchong@citb.gov.hk by 25 April 2007. My commentary in response to the introduction of mobile TV and digital broadcasting is available here.

Review of the Regulatory Framework for Universal Service Arrangements

Consultation paper was issued to review the universal service obligation arrangements. Please click here for the executive summary. Comments can be submitted to universalservice@ofta.gov.hk on or before 28 February 2007.

Copyright Protection in the Digital Environment

The consultation is a long-expected response in view of the rampant privacy infringement activities on the internet, espically through the peer-to-peer service. The consultation have proposed measures in the six areas, namely

• Legal liability of unauthorized upload/download of copyrighted materials
• Protection of copyright works via different forms of communication technology
• Role of Online Service Providers in relation to combating Internet Piracy
• Facilitating Copyright owners to Take Civil Actions against Online Infringements
• Statutory damages for Copyright Infringement
• Copyright Exemption for Temporary Reproduction of Copyright works

The consultation document can be downloaded here. Please send you opinions to to the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau by 30 April 2007. For details, please visit the CITB website. You may also read my commentary in response to the consultation.

Consultation Paper on Proposed Spectrum Policy Framework

In light of the trend in Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC), it is of paramount importance for the government to reform out spectrum policy. This consultation paper have discussed the spectrum allocation principle, license condition, and the possibility of spectrum refarming and spectrum trading. Please click here to dowdload the consultation document.

Public consultation on 2007 Digital 21 Strategy

The consultation aims gather public opinion on our ICT strategy in the coming 3 years. Click here to download the consultation document. All comments and submissions should be sent to the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer by 18 December 2006. For details, please click here.

His Calendar - Work Report 05/06

The yearly work report of SCK is now available. You can read through CK's calendar to in the past year to know more about his duties. Please click here to view the work report.

Public Service Broadcasting

The Legco Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting published a "Report on the Study of Public Service Broadcasting for Hong Kong". The report discussed on issues related to Hong Kong's Public Service Broadcasting, including the guidling principle, operation model, competition matters, opening up airwaves, and the future of RTHK. The report also suggested a list of considerations for the Government when formulating the roadmap for the development of PSB in Hong Kong. The full report can be accessed here.

First reading of the Unsolicited Electronic Message(UEM) Bill

After continous effort by the legislators, the UEM bill is being introduced to the Legco on the 12 of July 2006.

I have joined the bill committee of the Legco to examine the details of the bill and to give opinions about it. If you are interested, please read the brief introduction here or consult the revelant Legco document:

Legco Legal Service Division Report on UEM Bill
Legco Brief
BIll content