Telecommunication Authority of Singapore Bill

Bill No. 4/1972

Read the first time on 7th March 1972.

An Act to provide for the establishment of a corporation to be known as the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore and for the exclusive exercise, performance, administration and regulation by the corporation of functions relating to the provision of overseas and domestic telecommunication services; for the transfer to and the vesting in the corporation of the functions, assets and liabilities of the Telecommunications Department; for the transfer to the corporation of the staff of the Telecommunications Department; to repeal the Telecommunications Act (Chapter 86 of the 1970 Revised Edition) and for matters connected therewith.

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

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore Act, 1972, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“Authority” means the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore established by section 3 of this Act;

“Chairman” means the Chairman of the Authority appointed under section 5 of this Act;

“communication” means any telegram, telegraph message, photo-telegraph, telephone call, telex message, data message, or any other form of intelligence or message conveyed by telecommunication or given to a telecommunication officer to be sent by or delivered by telecommunication;

“Deputy Chairman” means the Deputy Chairman of the Authority appointed under section 5 of this Act;

“financial year”, in relation to the Authority, means a period of twelve months beginning on the 1st day of April in any year;

“functions” means the objects, powers and duties of the Authority;

“General Manager” means the General Manager appointed under section 5 of this Act and includes any person acting in that capacity;

“Hertzian waves” means electro-magnetic waves between ten kilohertz and three million megahertz;

“local service” means a telecommunication service enabling communication between parties within Singapore but does not include the domestic telephone services provided by the Singapore Telephone Board under the provisions of the Singapore Telephone Board Act (Cap. 85);

“member of the Authority” includes the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the General Manager of the Authority;

“operate” includes the functions of establishment, promotion, installation, construction, development, use, work or maintenance, hire and sales;

“overseas telecommunication service” means a telecommunication service enabling communication with parties outside Singapore;

“radio-communications” means any telecommunication by means of Hertzian waves;

“ship” means a ship within the meaning of the Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 172) and includes oil rigs;

“statutory body” means a body constituted under any written law;

“street” includes any way, road, lane, path, square, court, alley, passage or open space whether a thoroughfare or not over which the public have a right of way and also the roadway and footway over any public bridge;

“telecommunication” means any system for the transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, visual or other electromagnetic systems;

“Telecommunications Department” means the Telecommunications Department of the Government existing immediately before the date of the coming into operation of this Act;

“telecommunication equipment” includes any appliance, apparatus or accessory, used for telecommunication;

“telecommunication installations and plant” includes all buildings, land, interests in land, exchanges, equipment, apparatus or accessories whatsoever used for telecommunication;

“telecommunication line” means a wire or wires used for telecommunication with any casing, coating, tube or pipe enclosing the same and any appliance and any apparatus connected therewith for the purpose of fixing or insulating the same;

“telecommunication officer” means a member of the staff of the Authority;

“telecommunication service” means the provision of the necessary physical, operational and administrative facilities whereby persons may by means of telecommunication communicate with parties within Singapore or communicate with other parties outside Singapore;

“telecommunication system” means any telecommunication installation and plant or any telecommunication equipment or any component part thereof, with or without telecommunication lines, capable of being used or being adapted for use for telecommunication whether in operation or not, and includes radio-communication apparatus and equipment;

“vessel” includes a hovercraft.

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