BUSINESS

Uplinking norms likely to be relaxed

By BS Corporate Bureau in New Delhi
February 13, 2003 16:19 IST

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said the government was looking into issues like high licence fees for FM radio companies and relaxation of uplinking norms for broadcasters.

"We are aware of the issues you are facing and looking into it," the minister told the representatives of the entertainment sector in an interactive meeting organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

He said the government wanted to develop India as a hub for the entertainment sector.

The government will also review the norms regarding shooting of foreign films in the country. Some of the regulations governing film production results in lengthy procedures like government permission for the script and the cast. The minister also said co-production agreements with other nations were high on the agenda of the government.

On the issue of piracy in the movie and music sector, Prasad said, "I want to be with you on this issue. We will look into it and take appropriate action."

While criticising the coverage of events by news channels he said, "The government wants television channels to take a self-regulatory approach. Their action at times can even threaten the security of the nation. If self-regulation is not employed, we may have to look at a regulation for this in the long run."

Prasad said the government was committed on the rollout of the conditional access system-based cable distribution system. "We want the customer to benefit the most. We have set up a task force to monitor the rollout of CAS," he said.

Asking the entertainment sector to learn a lesson from the infotech sector, the minister said, "The infotech sector has been successful in educating policy makers about their problems and has benefited from it. I want the entertainment sector also to educate policy makers about the issues they face."

BS Corporate Bureau in New Delhi

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