After the legislators significantly cut the budget for the Ministry of Digital this year, it cannot fund the year-round nationwide broadcast relay services nor assist local governments with the operation of digital terrestrial television improvement stations. To protect the rights of nearly 110,000 people in remote areas to watch digital TV for free, the Ministry held a meeting on February 26th with the Hakka Affairs Council, the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation, local governments, and the five major TV networks. All participants strongly agreed on the importance of ensuring free TV access for people in remote areas and expressed hope that the Ministry of Digital Affairs will actively seek additional funding.

According to the Ministry, there are currently two main ways for residents in remote areas to access free digital terrestrial television. One method involves receiving broadcast signals from local TV stations or improvement stations managed by local governments. The other method relies on satellite reception equipment, which receives broadcast signals from satellite relays.

In the past, the Ministry of Digital Affairs collaborated with relevant agencies to share the costs of satellite relay services. However, due to budget cuts this year, the Ministry can only cover half of the total expenses, leaving the second half of the year without funding. The budget deduction will significantly affect the access of nearly 110,000 residents in the coverage area of the stations and improvement stations. As for the digital terrestrial television improvement stations, there is no maintenance budget available, and currently, 10 stations are experiencing issues and require repairs, directly impacting the quality of reception and even causing service disruptions.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs highlighted that all representatives at the meeting agreed on the importance of maintaining satellite relay services and the operation of digital terrestrial television improvement stations to ensure free access to digital television for residents in remote areas. They encouraged the Ministry to pursue additional funding to keep the satellite relay services and improvement stations operational.