The Opinion Collaborative (TOC Ltd) -- the social enterprise behind The Online Citizen blog -- has been informed by the Media Development Authority (MDA) to register under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification of the Broadcasting Act.

TOC will have to declare to MDA that it will not receive any foreign funding for the site’s operations, should TOC choose to register.

This registration comes some three years after TOC had already declared to the Prime Minister’s Office in 2011 that it will only receive funding from Singaporeans when it was gazetted as a political association.

As Mothership.sg explained before when it was asked to register by MDA in April 2014, falling under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification of the Broadcasting Act is nothing scary.

But if you're still confused, we understand because what's up with all these arbitrary rules? Why are there so many types of regulations to deal with what is essentially a website run by a motley crew of individuals?

To break it down for you, here's a guide to the 4 stages of being a bona fide media entity in Singapore that will help you put things in perspective:

Level 1: Gazetted as a political association

For example: The Online Citizen

Anytime you start a website in Singapore, it will automatically be granted a class license. This is a license that basically allows the website to operate in Singapore and also subjects it to rules banning offensive content under the Broadcast Act. A lot of websites in Singapore exist without having to register.

Some, however, like TOC, is suddenly given something else altogether: It got gazetted straightaway as a political association, the first time it has happened to anything that exists on the Internet and as an introduction to the world of arbitrary regulations.

So this is how it starts. A motley crew dabbling in a blog and host events that made the authorities take notice gets the red carpet treatment.

Level 2: Corporate entity behind website registers under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification

For example: Mothership.sg/ The Independent Singapore/ TOC

This is a step up from being a political association because the website is recognised as a proper business entity.

Mothership.sg, for example, was asked to register in April 2014 and complied after mulling over the decision.

Once the corporate entity behind the website gets asked to register, somebody wants to know where your money is not coming from.

Level 3: Obtain an individual license

For example: Yahoo! News Singapore

Once you hit level 3, you are just one step away from the big league, baby. The authorities recognise that more Singaporeans are reading you than the folks who go to Hong Lim park on a monthly basis.

A total of 10 sites were asked to obtain an individual license. This is to regulate major online news sites so that they follow the same regulatory framework as traditional media.

Yahoo! News was one of them. The other nine belonged to old school media companies like MediaCorp or Singapore Press Holdings. Basically newspaper and television type of media, but online.

These sites also had to put up a performance bond of S$50,000, like all other individually-licensed broadcasters and comply within 24 hours with any order by the media watchdog to take down objectionable content.

Level 4: Full accreditation

Boss level!

Otherwise known as the press accreditation card (PAC), this is where the media entity gets full accreditation and unfettered access for their reporters. Press accreditation means you are official and will receive press statements, be invited to government press conferences, or attend government events like state funerals.

And given that official media pass, like Yahoo! News Singapore.

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