SCIO Transfers News Release and Redistribution Licensing to CAC

On February 24, Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) proposed to revise the ​Decision of the State Council to Establish Administrative Licensing for Projects Requiring to Retain Administrative Approval (Decree No. 412 of the State Council) Article 372, under which the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and Provincial Information Offices are responsible for "business licensing of internet portals that engage in news release and redistribution", and CAC is calling public comments on its revision with a deadline of March 6. The proposed revision includes transferring SCIO's administrative authorization to CAC and local cyberspace administrations, and changing the item name from "licensing of business to internet portals that engage in news release and redistribution" to "licensing of business on the internet that engage in news release and redistribution". The transferring of the administrative bodies and redefining of the administrative scope is to cater to the expansion of news information distribution from internet portals to mobile internet.
 
In 2000, SCIO released the Interim Administrative Measures on Internet Portals that Engage in the News Release and Redistribution, which stated that news agency portals and comprehensive portals with relative news reporting credential need to acquire respective Information Office's approval.