Taipei City Government

To provide a sky free of cluttered cables to Taipei residents, Taipei City Government Department of Information and Tourism (TPEDOIT) Commissioner Chien Yu-yen announced the “Clutter-free Sky” cable removal project on January 26. She requested all related agencies to complete cable wires removal along major roads within one year. The cable removal project targets cable wires located at 15 meters or more above the ground and seeks to redeploy all wirings beneath the surface.
Working with one aerial work platform truck, personnel from TPEDOIT and related agencies gathered at the Nanjing West Road Commercial District to demonstrate the cable removal process. TPEDOIT announced that Nanjing West Road Commercial District will be the first large-scale demonstration zone for the cable removal project in 2015 and invited all cable companies in the city to review the result.
Shen Yong-hua, the chief of Mass Media Affairs Division at TPEDOIT, stated that a total of 31 ton cable wires were removed by the cable TV businesses in 2014. The wirings were then handled in accordance with the Waste Disposal Act.
The chief remarked that the most challenging part of the cable removal process is the handling of the Taiwan Power Company utility poles. For the safety of cable removal workers, they cannot proceed until the utility company confirms the shutting down of the power lines in question.
Shen noted that the current round of on-site survey requests cable TV businesses to commence the cable removal process. All unlabeled cable wires found during the second on-site survey will be classified as abandoned and will be removed accordingly.
He further suggested that the best solution for obtaining a clutter-free sky is to have all cable wires relocated underground. Shen urged cable TV companies to work with the Public Works Department to move all wires beneath the surface.