Regulatory Body To Be Set Up To Monitor Ads

Bandar Seri Begawan - A new regulatory body will be established to better monitor and control advertisements in Brunei, said a senior official from the Town and Country Planning Department yesterday.

The Advertisements Development Control Competent Authority will be created to enforce new advertisement regulations in the "next two to four months", said Hong Kok Seng, commissioner of the Town and Country Planning Department.

During a briefing on the new control of advertisements regulations at the Ministry of Development, Hong said that guidelines were created previously, but an authority was not formed to enforce the regulations.

The new advertisement guidelines include new application procedures, fees, and duration of the advertisement displays.

Under the regulations, the control of advertisements will cover the whole of Brunei, except for the Municipal Board areas in each district.

He said that the purpose of the new regulations was to guide advertising agencies in complying rules on the erection and display of signs and advertisements for public safety. Hong said that advertisers will be informed of the new regulations before enforcing the rules.

During the briefing, advertisers raised concerns on the irregularities in approving certain signages, the pricing and expired advertisements that were still on display.

The department urged advertisers to take down expired advertisements themselves, or the regulatory body might consider imposing a fine.

"I find that the regulations are okay, from submitting the papers to various departments, but I find that the pricing is expensive," said one advertiser from Kuala Belait.

About 60 advertising agencies were present to understand the new guidelines as well as providing input on what could be further improved.

Under Section 3 of the new regulations, any person is not allowed to show any form of advertisement without the prior written approval of the new regulatory body.

The types of advertisements mentioned under the new regulations include general advertisements, signboards, as well as electronic billboards.

Fees will be charged according to the type and size of the signs of the advertisement to be displayed.

Those who violate or do not comply with the new regulations would be slapped with a fine not more than $10,000. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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