PART VII
PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE CONDUCT OF
THE BUSINESS OF THE CORPORATION
Service provided by Corporation to any person
32.—(1)  Subject to this Act, in so far as it is able to do so and having due regard to economic considerations, the Corporation shall provide information communication services to any person on such terms and conditions as the Corporation may determine.
(2)  The Corporation shall, in providing any information communication service under subsection (1), have regard to the extent and nature of the physical or other facilities that will be provided —
(a)by the Corporation in connection with the provision of the service to any person; and
(b)by that person and the manner and by whom those physical or other facilities will have to be provided or connected to any Corporation’s installation or plant.
Contribution by landowner
33.  Where an owner of land considers that any information communication service by the Corporation is required and if it is in the opinion of the Corporation uneconomic to provide the service, the Corporation may require the owner to make such contribution towards the capital outlay necessary to provide the service as may be estimated by the Corporation and agreed to by the owner.
Contribution by the Government
34.  Where the Government considers it necessary that any information communication service should be provided in any area, and where the Corporation considers it uneconomic to provide the service without contribution from the Government, the Government may make such contribution towards the capital outlay necessary to provide the service as may be estimated by the Corporation and agreed to by the Government.
Right to conduct international business dealings
35.  For the purposes of the conduct of any international information communication service by the Corporation and subject to this Act, the Corporation may enter into direct communication, arrangement and agreement with the lawfully constituted postal or telecommunication authority of any country or with any duly authorised international agency or organisation concerned with information communication for the purpose of providing facilities, fixing rates, arranging terms of payment or accounting, for operational, engineering or administrative purposes or for any other purpose necessary for the proper fulfilment of its functions.
Government’s overriding international rights
36.  Nothing in section 35 shall be deemed to abrogate the right of the Government at any time to determine its relations with any country or with any international agency or organisation and the Corporation shall so discharge its responsibilities and conduct its business as to comply with and fulfil all international agreements, conventions or undertakings relating to information communication to which Singapore is a party.
Liability for international financial obligations
37.  The Corporation shall be fully responsible for meeting all financial obligations arising from the operation of any international information communication service and shall settle accounts with other postal and telecommunication authorities or international bodies and organisations from year to year.
Charges and other terms and conditions applicable to information communication service
38.—(1)  The Corporation may make, in relation to any information communication service provided by the Corporation or in respect of the hire or sale of any equipment, a scheme or schemes for determining either or both of the following:
(a)the charges which (save in so far as they are the subject of an agreement between the Corporation and a person availing himself of the service) are to be made by the Corporation; and
(b)the other terms and conditions which (save as aforesaid) are to be applicable to the service.
(2)  A scheme made under this section may make different provision for different cases or classes of cases determined by, or in accordance with, the provisions of the scheme.
(3)  A charge exigible by virtue of this section may be recovered by the Corporation in any court of competent jurisdiction as if it were a simple contract debt.
(4)  A scheme or any amendment thereof made under this section shall come into operation on such date as may be determined by the Corporation.
(5)  Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Corporation from levying any charge or collecting any dues for anything done or any service rendered by reason only of not being incorporated in a scheme and the rates, charges and fees payable to the Corporation for any information communication service or in respect of the hire or sale of any equipment or for any other service rendered shall be in accordance with such charges and fees as may from time to time be determined by the Corporation.
(6)  The rates, charges and fees applied by the Postal Department and the former Telecommunication Authority immediately before 1st October 1982 shall continue to be valid as though determined by the Corporation under this section until rescinded, varied or otherwise determined by the Corporation.
Limit of liability
39.—(1)  The Corporation shall not be liable in respect of any injury, loss or damage suffered by any person by reason of —
(a)the default or otherwise of any person licensed under section 22;
(b)any loss, misdelivery or delay of or damage to any postal article in the course of transmission by post;
(c)failure to provide or delay in providing any information communication service, equipment associated therewith or service ancillary thereto;
(d)failure, interruption, suspension or restriction of any information communication service or service ancillary thereto or delay of, or fault in, communication by means of information communication;
(e)error in or omission from, any directory or publication of the Corporation or error in or omission of any information transmitted through telecommunications;
(f)loss of secrecy in communication arising from the use of any information communication service; or
(g)wrong payment or delay in payment in connection with any remittance of money through the Corporation or any other irregularity in the document used in connection with the remittance.
(2)  Notwithstanding subsection (1), in the event of the loss of or damage to any article enclosed in or forming part of a parcel or an insured postal article, or the loss of any registered postal article while in the custody of the Corporation, the Corporation may pay an indemnity in accordance with the provisions of the Convention regulating the affairs of the Universal Postal Union or any international agreement to which Singapore is a party.
Provision to the Government of information communication services, etc.
40.  The Minister may direct the Corporation to undertake and provide such information communication services and facilities as may be necessary for aeronautical, maritime, meteorological, governmental, defence or other purposes and upon being so directed the Corporation shall so provide the services or facilities, as the case may be, and shall be entitled to fair and proper payment therefor.