Statute Details
- Title: Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification
- Act Code: BA1994-N1
- Type: Subsidiary legislation (Notification)
- Status: Current version as at 26 Mar 2026
- Authorising Act: Broadcasting Act (Cap. 28, s. 9)
- Key commencement / effective date (as reflected in extract): [15th July 1996] (with later amendments)
- Key provisions (from extract): Section 2 (definitions/purpose); Section 3 (class licence coverage); Section 3A (exclusion / Authority notice mechanism); Section 4 (conditions via Schedule); Section 5 (application of conditions)
- Schedule: Conditions of Class Licence
- Legislative history (highlights): Amended by S 496/2001, S 555/2003, S 196/2004, S 70/2012, S 330/2013, S 674/2016, S 478/2020
What Is This Legislation About?
The Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification is a Singapore subsidiary instrument made under the Broadcasting Act. In practical terms, it creates a “class licence” framework for certain categories of broadcasting-related services. Instead of requiring each provider to obtain an individual broadcasting licence, the Notification subjects specified “licensable broadcasting services” to a class licence, subject to conditions set out in the Schedule.
The Notification is particularly important for online and telecoms-adjacent services. It defines and regulates services such as audiotext, videotext, teletext, broadcast data services, and—critically—computer on-line services, including those provided by Internet Content Providers and Internet Service Providers. The regime reflects the convergence between broadcasting and internet/telecommunications infrastructure.
In addition, the Notification contains a targeted mechanism (Section 3A) allowing the Broadcasting Authority to issue a notice to certain high-traffic computer on-line services that carry Singapore news content. This mechanism effectively moves such services out of the ordinary “class licence” treatment (or at least triggers a different regulatory posture), while also addressing how long the notice remains effective even if thresholds fluctuate.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Citation and purpose (Sections 1 and 2): The Notification may be cited as the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification. Section 2 provides definitions that are central to how the class licence applies to internet-related actors. The definitions distinguish between “Internet Content Provider” and “Internet Service Provider”, and further break down service resellers into “Localised Internet Service Reseller” and “Non-localised Internet Service Reseller”. It also defines “VAN computer on-line service” as a computer on-line service licensed as a Value Added Network service under the Telecommunications Act.
For practitioners, the definitions matter because they determine whether a provider is within the class licence regime and which regulatory category they fall under. The definition of “Internet Content Provider” is broad: it covers individuals and corporations/groups who provide programmes on the World Wide Web for business, political or religious purposes, and it includes web publishers and web server administrators. This breadth is consistent with a policy goal of capturing content provision rather than merely carriage.
2. Which services are subject to the class licence (Section 3): Section 3 lists the licensable broadcasting services that are subject to a class licence. These include:
- audiotext services;
- videotext services;
- teletext services;
- broadcast data services;
- VAN computer on-line services; and
- computer on-line services provided by Internet Content Providers and Internet Service Providers.
Section 3 also contains an important carve-out: the class licence applies “except a computer on-line service provided on or after such date as the Authority specifies in a notice given to the provider of the service under paragraph 3A.” In other words, Section 3A can override the default class licence treatment for certain computer on-line services once the Authority issues a notice.
3. Exclusion / Authority notice mechanism for certain computer on-line services (Section 3A): Section 3A is the Notification’s most operationally significant provision for internet news and high-volume online services. It allows the Authority to give a notice to a person who provides a computer on-line service in or from Singapore (whether paid or free, and whether at regular intervals or otherwise) if two threshold conditions are met over two consecutive months:
- Access threshold: the service is accessed from at least 50,000 different Internet protocol addresses in Singapore per month on average; and
- Content threshold: the service contains at least one “Singapore news programme” per week on average.
“Singapore news programme” is defined in Section 3A(3) in a way that is both content-focused and wide in scope. It includes any programme containing news, intelligence, reports of occurrence, or matters of public interest about Singapore in any language, whether paid or free and whether regular or not. It excludes programmes produced by or on behalf of the Government. The definition is not limited to presenter-based formats and explicitly includes third-party provided programmes.
Section 3A(1) also includes a stability feature: the notice “shall not cease to have effect” merely because the service later ceases to satisfy the access or content thresholds during the validity of any broadcasting licence under section 8 of the Broadcasting Act relating to that service. This prevents providers from avoiding the notice’s consequences by temporarily dropping below thresholds.
4. Rules for counting access and content; and additional exclusions (Section 3A(2) and (4)): Section 3A(2) provides technical rules for how to reckon access and content. If a service is provided via a website with a domain and sub-domains, all sub-domains are treated as part of the domain. If the service is duplicated or mirrored across multiple websites in or from Singapore, all mirrored websites are regarded as part of the original web site. This is designed to prevent circumvention by splitting or mirroring content across multiple domains.
Section 3A(4) adds another exclusion: the Notification does not apply to or in relation to a person who is a class licensee by virtue of the Broadcasting (Class Licence — Broadcasting to Digital Display Panels) Notification 2020 (G.N. No. S 477/2020). This avoids regulatory overlap between different class licence regimes for different delivery platforms.
5. Conditions and their application (Sections 4 and 5): Section 4 states that the conditions of the class licence referred to in paragraph 3 are set out in the Schedule. While the extract provided does not reproduce the Schedule text, the legal effect is clear: compliance is governed by those scheduled conditions.
Section 5 addresses temporal application. It provides that the Schedule conditions apply to the provision of any licensable broadcasting service subject to a class licence where the service is available or continues to be provided after 15 July 1996, notwithstanding that the service was available or first provided before that date. This is a “continuing compliance” provision ensuring that existing services are brought under the conditions as the regime takes effect.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Notification is structured as follows:
- Section 1: Citation.
- Section 2: Definitions for key terms (notably Internet Content Provider, Internet Service Provider, and related reseller categories, plus VAN computer on-line service).
- Section 3: Identifies which licensable broadcasting services are subject to a class licence, with an exception for certain computer on-line services subject to Authority notices under Section 3A.
- Section 3A: Creates the Authority notice mechanism and defines the thresholds, counting rules, and exclusions.
- Section 4: Points to the Schedule for the actual conditions of the class licence.
- Section 5: Explains how the conditions apply to services available before and continuing after 15 July 1996.
- The Schedule: “Conditions of Class Licence” (the operative compliance obligations).
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Notification applies to providers of “licensable broadcasting services” that fall within the categories listed in Section 3. This includes traditional telecommunication/broadcast information services (audiotext, videotext, teletext, broadcast data services) and, importantly, computer on-line services provided by Internet Content Providers and Internet Service Providers.
For online services, the practical scope is determined by the definitions in Section 2 and the thresholds in Section 3A. Providers who deliver content that qualifies as “Singapore news programmes” and who meet the access threshold may receive a notice from the Authority. The notice mechanism is triggered regardless of whether the service is paid or free, and it applies to services “in or from Singapore”.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This Notification is important because it operationalises a regulatory approach that balances broad coverage with streamlined licensing. By using a class licence, the regime reduces administrative friction for many providers while still imposing conditions through the Schedule. For practitioners, the key compliance question is not merely whether a provider is “licensed”, but whether the provider’s service falls within the class licence categories and whether it must comply with the scheduled conditions.
The Section 3A notice mechanism is also highly significant for counsel advising digital publishers, platforms, and telecoms-linked service providers. The thresholds—50,000 different IP addresses in Singapore per month on average and at least one Singapore news programme per week on average—create a measurable trigger for regulatory escalation. The definitions and counting rules are drafted to be robust against technical workarounds (sub-domain aggregation and mirrored site aggregation), and the “notice does not cease” feature reduces the ability to manage compliance by short-term threshold fluctuations.
From an enforcement and risk perspective, the Notification’s interaction with the Broadcasting Act (particularly section 8, referenced in Section 3A(1)) means that once a notice is issued, the provider may face a different licensing posture for the duration of the relevant broadcasting licence. Practitioners should therefore treat Section 3A as a “watch and assess” provision: it is not only about current compliance but also about monitoring traffic patterns and content output that could bring the provider within the notice thresholds.
Related Legislation
- Broadcasting Act (Cap. 28): In particular, section 9 (authorising the making of notifications) and section 8 (referenced in Section 3A regarding broadcasting licences).
- Telecommunications Act (Cap. 323): In particular, section 5 (referenced in the definition of “Internet Service Provider” for Internet Access Service Providers) and the licensing of Value Added Network services for VAN computer on-line services.
- Broadcasting (Class Licence — Broadcasting to Digital Display Panels) Notification 2020 (G.N. No. S 477/2020): provides a separate class licence regime referenced in Section 3A(4).
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.