‘No major concerns’ over MDA notice to register under Broadcasting Act: The Online Citizen

[UPDATE on Tuesday, 30 September at 4:15pm: Adding response from TOC]
 
People behind Singapore citizen journalism website The Online Citizen (TOC) “do not see any major concerns” with the government’s notification that they will have to register under the Broadcasting Act, a director of the company managing the site said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the Media Development Authority (MDA) notified The Opinion Collaborative Ltd (TOC Ltd), the company behind socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC), to register under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification under Section 9 of the Broadcasting Act.

“We are looking at some of the details of what MDA requires and we are in discussion with MDA about this also,” said TOC commentaries editor Howard Lee, 38, who is also one of four directors of TOC Ltd.

“TOC Ltd will decide on this and make an announcement in due time,” he added later.
 
MDA said that it will require that TOC Ltd undertake not to receive foreign funding for its provision, management and/or operation as part of the registration.
 
This is the same procedure it earlier required of three other local sites, The Independent Singapore, the now-defunct Breakfast Network and most recently, Mothership.sg. Breakfast Network, which was founded by former newspaper editor Bertha Henson, eventually declined to comply to the MDA’s request to register itself.
 
According to a prior announcement made by TOC on 4 June this year, TOC Ltd is a social enterprise registered under the Companies Act that manages TOC and executes fundraising and revenue generation for the operations of the news site.
 
The company currently has four directors — Lee, Lee Song Kwang, Tan Tee Seng and Terry Xu — while two other board members include lawyer Choo Zheng Xi and political commentator Andrew Loh.
 
Previously, TOC was also required to register itself with the MDA after the government gazetted it as a political association under the Political Donations Act in February 2011.