Chapter 3.3
Upholding Standards and Consumer Rights
Consulting the Public
MDA held dialogues with stakeholders and the public to revise the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PEMA) for greater clarity on the definitions of “Public Entertainment” and “Arts Entertainment”. The various business associations representing the nightlife entertainment industry were also consulted on the impact of the new classification requirement resulting from the amendment to PEMA. Through the consultations, MDA identified five classes of classification exemptions, helping to minimise the regulatory burden on these businesses. Read more here.
Public dialogues over the course of the year also served to glean insights and views from the public on how to strengthen consumer protection in the pay-TV space. On 16 March 2016, after extensive consultations with the public, MDA issued the closing note on proposed amendments to the consumer protection provisions set out in the Media Market Conduct Code. Learn more here.
Consulting Advisory Committees
MDA regularly reviews content codes and guidelines to ensure that they are in line with our society’s values, expectations and evolving needs. MDA continued to consult the following citizen-based committees on these matters for the year in review:
- Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes (PACE)
- Advisory Committee for Chinese Programmes (ACCESS)
- Malay Programmes Advisory Committee (MPAC)
- Indian Programmes Advisory Committee (IPAC)
- Publications Consultative Panel (PCP)
- Arts Consultative Panel (ACP)
- Films Appeal Committee (FAC)
- Films Consultative Panel (FCP)
- Political Films Consultative Committee (PFCC)
- Broadcast, Publications and Arts Appeal Committee (BPAAC)
- Singapore Film Commission (SFC)
- Media Literacy Council (MLC)
Following a two-year review by MDA in consultation with the PCP and various agencies, 240 prohibited publications were de-gazetted on 25 November 2015.
In the lead-up to and during the General Elections 2015, the PFCC advised MDA on more than 70 films which contained party political content.
The FCP continued to advise MDA on films which have contentious material, including content with religious sensitivity, graphic and explicit depictions of sex and violence, etc. The panel held more than 20 consultations on over 30 titles, and has been expanded to 74 members from 65.
“In its review of gazetted publications, MDA consulted with the PCP to discuss previously prohibited books and magazines. PCP members agreed that as societal norms and values have evolved over the years, media policies need to keep pace with such changes. The decision to de-gazette 240 titles was well received by the public and publishing industry alike.”
Triena Noeline Ong
2nd Vice Chairperson, PCP
Maintaining TV Broadcast Quality
As the regulator for the pay-TV sector, MDA monitors the quality of service delivery and puts in place policies that strike a balance between fostering industry development and safeguarding consumer interests. Last year, MDA took regulatory action against pay-TV operators for service disruptions that represented breaches of their license conditions on service quality. StarHub was fined S$50,000 for a service disruption on 28 September 2013, and SingNet was fined $90,000 for one that happened on 3 February 2015.