Starlink 星鏈來台卡在「100% 獨資」！立院激辯低軌衛星鬆綁，憂馬斯克親中成國安破口

Why is Starlink’s entry into Taiwan stalled? The Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee focused on the issue of relaxing regulations for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites yesterday (22nd). Faced with Starlink’s rigid insistence on "100% foreign ownership," the foreign investment cap under Taiwan’s current Telecommunications Management Act has become the biggest obstacle. The NCC and the Ministry of Digital Affairs emphasized that a major legislative overhaul may not be necessary, suggesting that flexible mechanisms like trade agreements could provide a solution, provided that data sovereignty and cybersecurity are ensured. Meanwhile, legislators are caught in a fierce tug-of-war between "disaster communication resilience" and "concerns over Elon Musk’s pro-China stance." (Previous coverage: Starlink also faces interference in Iran; how does Jack Dorsey’s "Bitchat" break through using Bluetooth mesh networks?) (Background: SpaceX accused of not providing "Starshield" satellite services to Taiwan; US lawmakers criticize Elon Musk for endangering Taiwan-US security.) Against the backdrop of frequent modern warfare and natural disasters, LEO satellites have become strategic infrastructure for countries to build "communication resilience." However, Starlink, under SpaceX, which holds the largest global market share, has yet to officially launch in Taiwan. The Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee held a heated discussion on April 22, 2026, regarding "relaxing regulations for Starlink’s entry into Taiwan." This meeting revealed the complex three-way struggle between regulatory constraints, commercial negotiations, and national security. The biggest hurdle currently blocking Starlink from entering Taiwan’s general consumer market lies in the strict provisions of Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act: telecommunications operators must be domestic companies, and direct foreign investment cannot exceed 49%, with total direct and indirect investment not exceeding 60%. Minister of Digital Affairs Huang Yen-chi pointed out the core contradiction during the meeting: compared to OneWeb and Amazon Kuiper, which is expected to launch in Taiwan this year and is willing to accept an "agency model" in cooperation with domestic telecom operators, Starlink’s stance is extremely rigid. It prefers to establish a 100% foreign-owned company in Taiwan, which creates a massive gap with current regulations. Furthermore, Huang Yen-chi revealed that Taiwan’s 4G/5G penetration rate has exceeded 99%; in Starlink’s commercial assessment, the "supplementary value" of the Taiwan market is limited, which is why Taiwan has not been prioritized as a key area for deployment. Regarding calls for a comprehensive legislative overhaul to accommodate Starlink, Acting Chairperson of the National Communications Commission (NCC) Chen Chung-shu offered a different solution. He stated that current regulations "can certainly be operated," and a major legislative overhaul may not be necessary. The NCC pointed out that by drawing on the deregulation models of Japan and South Korea, Taiwan could potentially waive foreign investment restrictions through diplomatic prerequisites such as a "Taiwan-US trade agreement." However, opening up is not without bottom lines. If a purely foreign company were allowed to operate with 100% ownership without the participation of domestic operators, it would create hidden risks: - Data Sovereignty and National Security: It is mandatory to require foreign investors to set up ground stations (Gateways) locally. - Cybersecurity and Anti-Fraud: Starlink equipment has previously been used by fraud syndicates; purely foreign ownership would significantly increase the difficulty of communication supervision and crime prevention. This issue has sparked a fierce ideological battle among legislators from both ruling and opposition parties. Opposition legislators, including Huang Chien-hao and Ko Ju-chun, actively advocate for relaxing regulations as soon as possible through project-based approvals or legislative amendments. They emphasize that once Taiwan’s undersea cables are cut during wartime or natural disasters, LEO satellites will be the only lifeline. Seeing that neighboring countries like Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines have already introduced Starlink (Japan has even opened retail stores to sell equipment directly), Taiwan’s progress is lagging significantly, which may exacerbate the digital divide between urban and rural areas. However, another group of legislators raised a profound "crisis of trust." Given that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s past remarks have repeatedly been labeled as "pro-China," handing over Taiwan’s critical wartime command and communication infrastructure entirely to a foreign-owned enterprise under his 100% control would undoubtedly be placing the throat of national security in someone else’s hands. With Starlink’s entry still stalled, the Taiwan government is not putting all its eggs in one basket. Currently, the domestic LEO satellite layout is adopting a "multi-track" strategy: - Introducing other foreign companies: OneWeb, represented by Chunghwa Telecom, has already built 773 terminal sites across Taiwan and was successfully tested during the recent Hualien earthquake; Amazon Kuiper is also scheduled to begin service