The working group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which examines the role of public broadcasting in the Internet age, agreed that it is necessary to create rules to ensure fair competition with commercial broadcasters and newspapers when considering the position and scope of NHK's Internet utilization operations in the future.
The working group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is discussing NHK's Internet utilization operations, which are positioned as a supplement to broadcasting, and the NAB = Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association and the Japan Newspaper Publishers Association have expressed opinions such as maintaining a fair competitive environment.
At the hearing on the 15th, Professor Noboru Kawahama of the Graduate School of Kyoto University, who specializes in antitrust law, said, "As the 'attention economy' spreads, in which people's interest and attention are economic value, NHK's Internet utilization operations will lead to the soundness of the information space. Checks are needed to ensure fair competition."
The Working Group agreed that in considering the positioning and scope of NHK's Internet utilization operations in the future, it is necessary to create rules to ensure fair competition with commercial broadcasters and newspapers.
The Working Group will continue discussions and compile concrete measures by June.