On December 30, 2008, the City People's Committee issued Decision No. 97/2008/QD-UBND on the Regulation on organization and operation of the Department of Information and Communications, which stipulates the functions, tasks and powers of the Department of Information and Communications as follows:

Chapter I. General provisions

The Department of Information and Communications is a specialized agency under the City People's Committee, with the function of advising and assisting the City People's Committee in the state management of the press; publish; postal and delivery; telecommunications and the Internet; broadcast transmission; radio frequency; information technology, electronics, radio and television; information and communication infrastructure, newspaper advertising, computer information networks and publications; management of public information services and communications under the jurisdiction of the Department; perform a number of tasks and exercise powers as authorized by the City People's Committee and as prescribed by law.

The Department of Information and Communications has legal status, has its own seal, is funded from the budget and opens accounts at banks and the city's State Treasury to operate in accordance with the State's regulations.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications has the trading name in English: HOCHIMINH CITY DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS. (Abbreviated as: DIC HCM City)

The head office of the Department of Information and Communications is located at 59, Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Article 2. The Department of Information and Communications shall be under the direct management and direction of the City People's Committee, and at the same time under the direction, provide guidance and examination on professional expertise of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Chapter II. DUTIES - POWERS

1. Law enforcement:

a/ To submit to the City People's Committee for promulgation decisions and directives in service of the state management of the information, communications, publishing and press sectors in the city and take responsibility for the contents of submitted documents;

b/ To submit to the City People's Committee 5-year and annual long-term plannings, development plans, programs and plans on information and communications in conformity with the master plan for socio-economic development in the city and the national information and communication development planning;

c/ To submit to the city People's Committee guidelines, policies and measures to promote information and communication development in conformity with the press development planning, publishing, postal, telecommunications and national information technology;

d/ To strictly comply with the provisions of law on state administrative management in the field of information and communications in the city;

đ) Guide, examine and organize the implementation of legal documents, approved strategies, master plans, development plans, programs, projects, standards and technical and economic norms on information and communications; propagating, disseminating and educating the law on the fields under its management.

2. About the press:

a/ To submit to the City People's Committee specific solutions to carry out press activities in the city, including print, audio, video and electronic newspapers as assigned and authorized by the City People's Committee and as prescribed by law; be responsible for implementation, inspection and implementation;

b/ To inspect the depositary press and manage the depositary press in the city;

c/ To grant and revoke licenses for newsletter operation to agencies and organizations in the city;

d) Respond to the request to hold a press conference for municipal agencies and organizations;

đ) Receive and appraise dossiers and request competent authorities to grant press cards, press operation licenses, press publication licenses and other information publications as prescribed by law to press agencies and other agencies and organizations of the city;

e/ To consider allowing press agencies of other localities to set up representative offices, liaison offices and resident offices in the city.

3. About publishing:

a/ Appraising dossiers of application for permission to establish publishing houses of city-affiliated state organizations and agencies and submitting them to the Presidents of the city People's Committees to request the Ministry of Information and Communications to grant licenses for establishment of publishing houses in accordance with law;

b/ To grant and revoke licenses for publishing non-business documents to agencies, organizations of cities, branches, representative offices, units attached to central agencies and organizations in the city; grant and revoke licenses for import of publications not for business purposes to agencies, organizations and individuals of the city; grant and revoke licenses for printing publications and licenses for printing and processing publications for foreign countries for publication printing establishments in the city in accordance with the law on publication;

c) To grant and revoke licenses for exhibitions and fairs of publications to agencies, organizations and individuals belonging to the city, branches of representative offices and units attached to centrally-affiliated agencies or organizations in the city; temporarily suspend the organization of exhibitions and fairs of publications of agencies, organizations and individuals licensed by the city in accordance with law;

d) Manage the depository of publications and organize the reading of depositary publications licensed by the city; take responsibility for organizing appraisal when detecting depositary publications showing signs of law violations;

đ) Temporarily suspend the printing of publications or suspend the printing of currently printed publications if detecting that the contents of the publication violate Article 10 of the Law on Publication and report to the Minister of Information and Communications, Chairman of the City People's Committee; temporarily suspend the distribution of publications with contents that violate the Publication Law of publication publishers in the city;

e/ To destroy publications that violate the law according to decisions of competent authorities.

4. About postage and delivery:

a/ To submit to the City People's Committee specific solutions for the implementation of public utility activities in terms of post and delivery in the city in accordance with law; responsible for implementation and implementation testing;

b/ To guide, inspect and organize the implementation of the protection of postal network safety, information safety and security in postal and delivery activities in the city in accordance with law;

c/ To coordinate with concerned agencies in inspecting the observance of regulations on application of standards, service quality, information safety and security in post and delivery in the city;

d) Confirm the written notice of delivery service business activities issued by the delivery service provider within the city limits;

đ) Grant, amend, supplement and revoke the license for provision of mail delivery services according to its competence;

e) Coordinate in the implementation of the state management of postage stamps in the city.

5. Regarding telecommunications, Internet:

a/ To submit to the city People's Committee specific solutions for the implementation of public utility activities on telecommunications and the Internet in the city, take responsibility for implementation and inspection of implementation;

b/ To guide, inspect and organize the protection of telecommunications network safety, information safety and security in telecommunications and Internet activities in the city in accordance with law;

c/ To coordinate with concerned agencies in examining the observance of regulations on application of standards and quality in the telecommunications and Internet domains in the city in accordance with law.

d) Assist telecommunications enterprises in the city to complete basic construction procedures for the construction of telecommunications works according to licenses granted to them by the Ministry of Information and Communications, in accordance with the city's development planning and the provisions of law;

đ) Coordinate with functional units of the Ministry of Information and Communications in a number of stages in the process of licensing and settling disputes over connection and use of telecommunications network infrastructure and the Internet.

6. Regarding electronics and information technology:

a/ To submit to the City People's Committee:

- Programs and schemes for the development of the information technology industry, including hardware industry, software-service industry, electronics industry in the city in accordance with national strategies, master plans and plans and implementation organizations;

- Information technology application and development programs and plans, plans on building e-Government in the city and organizing their implementation;

- Mechanisms and policies for the development of hardware industry, software industry, electronics industry, digital content industry, data exploitation, investment in information technology application in accordance with the characteristics of the city and in accordance with the national information technology development planning;

- Plan on fostering and developing information technology human resources in the city; responsible for organizing implementation.

b/ To submit to the city People's Committee for promulgation regulations on information technology security within its competence; responsible for organizing and guiding its implementation;

c/ To be responsible for implementing information technology socialization programs of the Government and the Ministry of Information and Communications in the city as assigned by the city People's Committee;

d/ Appraising information technology application programs and projects in the city in accordance with law; organize the implementation of investment projects on information technology assigned by the City People's Committee;

đ) To submit to the city People's Committee plans for new construction, maintenance, upgrading, technical assurance and assurance of information security in service of the executive direction and operation of leaders of the city People's Committee and operation of websites; guide units to connect and use information provision infrastructure and public administrative services;

e) Perform specialized information technology tasks of the city under the guidance of the Information Technology Application Department under the Ministry of Information and  Communication;

g/ Surveying, investigating and statistics on the application and development of the information technology industry; build a database of products and enterprises in the city in service of periodic newspaper reporting according to regulations.

7. Regarding advertising in newspapers, computer information networks and publications: guide the implementation of advertising in newspapers, computer information networks and publications according to its competence.

8. About radio and television:

a/ To organize the implementation of the city's radio and television career development plan;

b/ To receive and appraise dossiers of application for licenses to operate in the field of radio, television and electronic information of organizations and units managed by the city and submit them to competent authorities in accordance with law;

c/ To grant and revoke licenses for use of equipment for receiving radio and television signals directly from satellites to units, organizations and individuals in the city in accordance with law;

d/ To perform a number of other state management tasks under the guidance of the Administration of Radio, Television and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications.

9. Regarding broadcast transmission, radio frequency:

a/ Guide and inspect the implementation of the master plan on frequency channel allocation of radio transceiving activities in the city; regulations on conditions, techniques and conditions for the exploitation of conditionally used radio equipment;

b/ To perform a number of tasks on fishing vessel licensing under the guidance of the Radio Frequency Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications.

10. Copyright, copyright and intellectual property:

a/ To organize the implementation of the provisions of law on copyright for press and publication products; copyright on information and communication technology products and services; intellectual property rights of inventions and inventions in the fields of information and communication in the city;

b/ To take measures to protect the legitimate interests of the State, organizations and individuals with respect to intellectual property in the field of information and communications according to its competence in the city;

c) Provide professional guidance on the protection of legal rights in the field of copyright and intellectual property copyright for branches, localities, enterprises, social organizations and citizens for products and services within their competence in the city.

11. To assist the city People's Committee in performing the state management of enterprises, collective economic organizations and the private economy; guide and inspect the activities of associations, associations and non-governmental organizations operating in the field of information and communications in the city in accordance with the provisions of law.

12. To guide and inspect the implementation of information and communication public service activities in the city in accordance with law; assist the city People's Committee in organizing communication work in service of Party and State agencies, serving national defense, security and foreign relations; information on flood and storm prevention and control; information on safety, rescue and other emergency information in the city in accordance with the provisions of law.

13. To participate in appraisal or appraisal and take responsibility for appraisal contents for specialized investment projects on information and communications in the city in accordance with the provisions of law and as assigned and decentralized by the City People's Committee.

14. Organizing research and application of scientific advances, technology in the field of information and communication; guide the implementation of the State's regulations on application of standards and technical regulations, announcement of quality of products and services to enterprises operating in the field of information and communications in the city.

15. To perform the tasks of formulating and coordinating the elaboration of information and communications specialized economic-technical norms under the guidance of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

16. To direct and organize the implementation of administrative reform programs in the domains under state management of the Department.

17. Regarding inspection, examination, settlement of complaints and denunciations, handling of violations and specialized disputes:

a/ To inspect and examine according to functions, tasks and state management powers of the Department of Information and Communications in observing relevant policies and regimes prescribed by the State and the city People's Committee;

b/ To handle violations of information and communication activities in the city and settle specialized disputes in accordance with law;

c/ To settle letters, complaints and denunciations of organizations and individuals on contents related to functions, tasks and powers of the Department of Information and Communications within its competence or propose them to the City People's Committee for decision in accordance with law;

d) Summarize and report on the results of inspection, examination, handling and settlement of complaints, denunciations, anti-corruption and negativity under its management.

18. Finance:

a/ The operation budget of the Department of Information and Communications shall be allocated by the state budget. In addition, the Department of Information and Communications may make other revenues and expenditures in accordance with law;

b/ Allocate and inspect in accordance with the principles and financial regime and make estimates of revenues, expenditures and finalization of state budget expenditures in accordance with law;

c/ Together with functional departments and branches of the city, inspect and evaluate the use of funds and assets assigned by the State to units under them.

19. Other tasks:

a/ To perform the state management of activities of associations and non-governmental organizations in the field of information and communications in the city as assigned by the city People's Committee and in accordance with law;

b/ To manage the organization of the apparatus, payroll, finance and public assets; implement the salary regime and policies, remuneration, reward, discipline, professional training and retraining for cadres and civil servants of the Department in accordance with the provisions of law;

c/ To carry out international cooperation in the field of information and communications under its management in accordance with the provisions of law and as assigned or authorized by the City People's Committee and the Ministry of Information and Communications;

d) Implement the regime of periodic and irregular reports on the performance of assigned tasks according to regulations of the City People's Committee and the Ministry of Information and Communications; participate in conducting statistical surveys under the guidance of the Ministry of Information and Communications, the City People's Committee and at the request of the actual situation;

đ) Perform other tasks as assigned and authorized by the city People's Committee.