HKTV's Ricky Wong Wai-kay takes licence decision to court at last
HKTV chief mounts judicial challenge against government rejection of free-to-air application
Ricky Wong Wai-kay has finally lodged a judicial challenge of the government's decision to deny him a free-television licence, almost three months after his Hong Kong Television Network lost the bid.
On October 15, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said it rejected HKTV under the government's "gradual and orderly" approach in introducing operators into the market, though it approved two other applications in principle.
The announcement came despite the then Broadcasting Authority having recommended granting licences to all three applicants to promote competition.
The government had cited the confidentiality rule of the Executive Council in declining to explain its decision in full. It stoked public sentiment and spawned protests and petitions.
Seeking permission yesterday to lodge a judicial review, HKTV says in its filings that the case involved not only the private commercial right of a qualified company to obtain a free-to-air television licence, but also "the entitlement of the Hong Kong public as a whole to enjoy free-television programming" from an additional operator.
The decision is flawed as it amounts to a sudden change in policy, it says. The government has also failed to provide adequate reasoning, it says.
