China's efforts to combine telephone, cable television and Internet networks into a single line seem to have reached a dead end. An official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, one of the government regulators overseeing the project, recently lamented to Guangzhou-based newspaper Xinkuai Bao the lack of meetings he has attended, which to him signaled the end of the project. Indeed, few people are confident that the integration is going according to plan.
The integration, which has been discussed as far back as 1998 and incorporated into the ninth through 11th five-year plans, will reduce the costs of installing and maintaining a large amount of infrastructures, as well as user fees. It would be a win-win good deal for both the government and the public. But competing government departments – namely, the MIIT and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television – that are currently in charge of overseeing the three industries are loathe to give up power by cooperating with each other and coordinating the integration plans. I don't have specific examples where each department does its own thing, but just trust me when I say that there was friction at times in the early period of efforts.
Our neighbors in Japan and South Korea have already been enjoying the benefits of network integration, while here at home, the framework has just been established. Endless conflicts sacrifice precious opportunities and time. Time and tide wait for no man. It is up to the central government to find a solution to competing interests and to manage its various departments. China's relatively closed department system and their policy hierarchy have become outdated and are not compatible with development. Internal governmental frictions will end and network integration begin only when legislation is reformed and new administrators are brought in.
Huang Shuo is a Beijing-based freelance writer. He can be reached at larryhuangshuo@gmail.com.
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