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Singapore Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 19/2001

Read the first time on 15th March 2001.

An Act to amend the Singapore Broadcasting Authority Act (Chapter 297 of the 1995 Revised Edition).

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Act 2001 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

New Part IXA

2. The Singapore Broadcasting Authority Act (referred to in this Act as the principal Act) is amended by inserting, immediately after section 42, the following Part:

“PART IXA

DECLARED FOREIGN
BROADCASTING SERVICES

42A.—(1) The Minister may, by order published in the Gazette, declare any foreign broadcasting service rebroadcast in Singapore on any relevant licensable broadcasting service to be a foreign broadcasting service engaging in the domestic politics of Singapore.

(2) No person shall, without the prior approval of the Minister, include any declared foreign broadcasting service for rebroadcast in Singapore on any relevant licensable broadcasting service.

(3) The Minister may —

(a)	grant his approval under subsection (2) subject to such conditions as he thinks fit;
(b)	refuse to grant his approval; or
(c)	revoke his approval at any time without assigning any reason.

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (3), the Minister may, in imposing conditions under that subsection, specify that —

(a)	the number of persons capable of receiving any declared foreign broadcasting service rebroadcast in Singapore on any relevant licensable broadcasting service shall be restricted in such manner as the Minister may, from time to time, direct; and
(b)	the rebroadcast of any declared foreign broadcasting service on any relevant licensable broadcasting service in Singapore shall be suspended for such period as the Minister may, from time to time, direct.

(5) Any person who contravenes subsection (2) or fails to comply with any condition imposed under subsection (3)(a) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000.

(6) For the purpose of this section —

“foreign broadcasting service” means —

(a)

any broadcasting service transmitting from a place outside Singapore; or

(b)

any broadcasting service transmitting from a place in Singapore but which is owned, controlled or managed by or on behalf of —

(i)	the government of a country outside Singapore or the agent of any such government, whether resident in Singapore or otherwise;
(ii)	any company, association or society incorporated or constituted under any law in force outside Singapore, whether or not it has a branch office or place of business in Singapore; or
(iii)	any person who is not a citizen of Singapore, whether or not he is resident in Singapore;

“relevant licensable broadcasting service” means a licensable broadcasting service specified in the first column of the Seventh Schedule provided by a person specified adjacent thereto in the second column of that Schedule.”.

Amendment of section 78

3. Section 78(1) of the principal Act is amended —

(a)	by deleting the words “or Second Schedule” and substituting the words “, Second or Seventh Schedule”; and
(b)	by deleting the words “and Second Schedules” in the marginal note and substituting the words “, Second and Seventh Schedules”.

New Seventh Schedule

4. The principal Act is amended by inserting, immediately after the Sixth Schedule, the following Schedule:

“SEVENTH SCHEDULE

Section 42A(6)

Relevant Licensable Broadcasting Service

First column

Second column

Subscription nationwide television service

Singapore CableVision Pte. Ltd.

”.