****************************************************
The Government today (March 16) announced the appointment of the chairperson and members to the Communications Authority (CA) for a term of three years from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2015. The CA is a unified regulatory body tasked with overseeing the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors. It will be established on April 1, 2012.
Membership of the CA will be as follows:
Chairperson
-----------
Mr Ambrose Ho
Vice-chairperson
----------------
Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology)
Non-official members
--------------------
Mr Au Man-ho
Ms Alice Kwok Yim-ming
Mrs Lucia Li Li Ka-lai
Mr Alan Lui Siu-lun
Mr Hubert Ng Ching-wah
Dr Anthony William Seeto Yiu-wai
Dr Carlye Tsui Wai-ling
Mr Adrian Wong Koon-man
Mr Raymond Roy Wong
Official member
---------------
Director-General of Communications
Commenting on the appointments, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, said, "The CA will be a high-powered regulator with rather onerous statutory duties and responsibilities. I am most pleased that Mr Ambrose Ho has kindly agreed to accept the appointment as the chairperson of the CA. He has been the Chairperson of the Broadcasting Authority (BA) since December 2008. His appointment to the CA will facilitate the smooth transition of the current regimes into the new CA framework. We are most grateful to Mr Ho for his sterling leadership and commitment to serve.
"We have amongst the CA members a strong pool of renowned experts from the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors, and legal, accounting, administration and other professions. The newly set up CA will benefit much from their wealth of experience and expertise.
"I am confident that under the stewardship of Mr Ho, and the concerted efforts of other members, the CA will rise up to the regulatory challenges ahead in the era of technological advancement and media convergence," Mr So said.
Mr So also took the opportunity to express the Government's gratitude to the members of the BA for their service. "The BA has certainly laid a solid foundation for the new CA in the broadcasting sector," Mr So said.
Brief profiles of the chairperson and non-official members are as follows:
Mr Ambrose Ho (Chairperson)
---------------------------
Mr Ho is a Senior Counsel by profession. He is currently the Chairman of the BA and the Vice-Chairman of the Consumer Council. He has served as the Deputy Chairman of the Telecommunications (Competition Provisions) Appeal Board and the Administrative Appeals Board; and as Chairman of the Air Pollution Control Appeal Board Panel, the Toys and Children's Products Safety Appeal Board Panel and the Buildings Appeal Tribunal Panel.
Mr Au Man-ho
---------------
Mr Au is a telecommunications expert. He joined the Office of the Telecommunications Authority on its establishment in 1993. He was Director-General of Telecommunications from August 2004 until his retirement in 2007.
Ms Alice Kwok Yim-ming
----------------------
Ms Kwok has extensive experience in the media industry. She has worked for a wide range of media organisations including radio, TV and the print media. She has been a member of the BA and the Government's Public Affairs Forum since 2010.
Mrs Lucia Li Li Ka-lai
----------------------
Mrs Li is an accountant by profession. She was the Director of Accounting Services from October 2003 to January 2009. She is a member of the Public Service Commission.
Mr Alan Lui Siu-lun
-------------------
Mr Lui has been a member of the BA since December 2010. He is a member of the Commercial Properties Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Government's Public Affairs Forum. He has experience in engaging the younger generation in public sector work.
Mr Hubert Ng Ching-wah
----------------------
Mr Ng is a retired telecommunications practitioner. He has served on the Digital 21 Strategy Advisory Committee, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and a number of telecommunications-related advisory committees. He has been the Honorary Advisor to the Internet and Telecom Association of Hong Kong (now Communications Association of Hong Kong) since 2000.
Dr Anthony William Seeto Yiu-wai
--------------------------------
Dr Seeto has rich experience in the telecommunications industry. He is currently an Executive Committee member of the Communications Association of Hong Kong. He was a member of Government's Telecommunications Users and Consumers Advisory Committee.
Dr Carlye Tsui Wai-ling
-----------------------
Dr Tsui is the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors. She serves as a member on the Board of Review (Inland Revenue Ordinance), Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited. She was a member of the BA from 2000 to 2007 and has chaired the BA Codes of Practice Committee.
Mr Adrian Wong Koon-man
-----------------------
Mr Wong has served on the BA since 2005. He chairs the Complaints Committee of the BA. He also serves on the ICAC Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee and the Listing Committee of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.
Mr Raymond Roy Wong
-------------------
Mr Wong is a broadcasting veteran. He chaired the Committee on Review of Public Service Broadcasting from January 2006 to March 2007. Mr Wong was a member of the Council of the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Council of the Open University of Hong Kong, and chaired the Mass Communications Training Board of the Vocational Training Council.
The establishment of the CA, by merging the BA and the Telecommunications Authority, aims to meet the challenges arising from technological advancement and media convergence effectively. The CA's executive arm, named the Office of the Communications Authority and headed by the Director-General of Communications, will come into operation on the same day of the establishment of CA.
In recognition of their commitment to community service, an honorarium will be offered for the Chairperson and non-official members of the CA, at $60,000 and $20,000 respectively per month.
Ends/Friday, March 16, 2012
Issued at HKT 13:50
NNNN
