According to a report by UDN Money, NCC currently operates with only three commissioners—Acting Chairman Chen Chung-shu, Wang Cheng-chia and Wang Yi-hui—after the Legislative Yuan twice rejected the Executive Yuan's nomination lists. Chen said the shortage will not affect the September launch of iPhone 18, citing existing three-year administrative delegation contracts and mutual recognition agreements with the U.S., Canada and Singapore, though he warned that prolonged delays could eventually affect certification.
What is NCC's current staffing situation?
According to a report by UDN Money, the National Communications Commission (NCC) is currently down to just three commissioners: Acting Chairman Chen Chung-shu (陳崇樹), Wang Cheng-chia (王正嘉), and Wang Yi-hui (王怡惠). The report states that with commissioners' terms having expired, the remaining three-person body "cannot form a full commission" (無法組成委員會). The Executive Yuan has submitted nomination lists for new commissioners twice, but both were blocked by the Legislative Yuan, according to the same report.
A separate report by TechNews (科技新報) corroborates the headcount, stating that "NCC commissioners currently number only three, and the public is watching whether this will affect the launch plans of the iPhone 18 and other handsets."
Will iPhone 18 launch be affected by NCC's commissioner shortage?
According to UDN Money, NCC Acting Chairman Chen Chung-shu addressed the concern directly, saying that because NCC has signed administrative delegation contracts with relevant radio-frequency equipment inspection bodies and mutual recognition agreements with countries including the United States, Canada, and Singapore, "the September launch of the iPhone 18 will basically not be affected."
TechNews reported the same statement, noting that public attention has focused on "whether this will affect the launch plans of the iPhone 18 and other handsets," while quoting Chen's assurance that the launch timeline remains intact.
What mechanisms does NCC use to keep phone certification running?
Both UDN Money and TechNews report that Chen explained the certification pipeline relies on two mechanisms. First, NCC has signed three-year administrative delegation contracts with bodies such as the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection's electronic testing center and the Telecommunication Technology Center (TTC). Second, NCC has mutual recognition agreements with the U.S., Canada, and Singapore for test reports.
Per Chen's statement as quoted by both outlets: "If iPhone 18-related product testing is conducted in the United States, Taiwan will recognize the U.S. test report, and Taiwan's certifying bodies will then issue certification based on that test report and the relevant review regulations."
What risks could emerge if NCC's staffing issue drags on?
According to both UDN Money and TechNews, Chen's assurance came with a caveat. He said that based on Apple's historical commercial practices, iPhone 18 certification review is likely already underway and "basically will not be affected by the NCC personnel case." However, he added: "if the NCC personnel case is stalled for too long, exceeding the term of the administrative delegation contracts, future phone certification could be affected."
This means the current three-year delegation contracts—rather than the commissioner shortage itself—are the operative safeguard, and their expiration represents the point at which risk could materialize, per Chen's own framing in both reports.
What is the status of new commissioner nominations?
According to UDN Money, Executive Yuan spokesperson Lee Hui-chih (李慧芝), speaking at a post-Executive Yuan meeting press conference, said the search for new commissioners "has reached its final stage" (徵詢已到最後階段) and that the Executive Yuan "will try to speed up submission of a new list." No specific date for the new nomination list was given in the report.
Key figures at a glance
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|
| Current NCC commissioners | 3 (Chen Chung-shu, Wang Cheng-chia, Wang Yi-hui) | UDN Money, TechNews |
| Nomination lists rejected by Legislative Yuan | 2 | UDN Money |
| Administrative delegation contract term | 3 years | UDN Money, TechNews |
| Countries with mutual recognition agreements | U.S., Canada, Singapore | UDN Money, TechNews |
| Nomination status | "Final stage," per Executive Yuan spokesperson | UDN Money |
What this means
The reporting from both UDN Money and TechNews converges on the same core fact set: NCC's three remaining commissioners cannot form a quorum, two nomination lists have already been blocked by the Legislative Yuan, and yet Acting Chairman Chen Chung-shu maintains the iPhone 18 launch is protected by three-year administrative delegation contracts and mutual recognition agreements with the U.S., Canada, and Singapore. The tension in the record is Chen's own qualifier — the same three-year contracts that currently insulate certification work are also identified by Chen as the eventual point of exposure if the commissioner vacancy persists past the contract term. Meanwhile, the Executive Yuan's characterization of the nomination process as being in its "final stage," without a stated date, leaves the timeline for resolving the underlying vacancy undefined in the available reporting.