ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Work begins on broadcast bill

The Centre has begun deliberations on a new broadcast bill to replace the one that lapsed with the dissolution of the 10th Lok Sabha.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary Piyush G Mankad held several rounds of meetings with channel operators, cable operators, industrialists, media groups and experts.

The bill would regulate all satellite radio and television channels that function in the country.

Although several governments had been promising comprehensive broadcast laws from the early 90s, the matter assumed urgency only after the Supreme Court observed on February 9, 1995, that airwaves were public property and should be regulated by an autonomous authority.

The United Front government introduced the broadcast bill in May 1997. It provided for an authority for regulating the entry of all satellite radio and TV channels to the country. The maximum foreign equity was to be 49 per cent, and cross-media participation 20 per cent.

The Cable Operators (Regulation) Act, 1995 was expected to be automatically repealed once the bill was passed. The bill was handed over to a parliamentary select committee immediately on introduction, but lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

In a meeting on October 29, a satellite television channel owner had contended that the grant of up-linking facilities to some channels was illegal as they had not obtained broadcast licences.

In Thursday's meeting, there was a strong divergence of opinion between media personalities and those representing the industry. Media experts felt that foreign equity should be restricted to less than 25 per cent as it was very easy to convert 49 per cent into a majority shareholding. Several speakers were in favour of restricting cross-media holding to just 10 per cent.

It was pointed out there were no clear guidelines in the bill relating to complaint redressal. Some speakers felt the bill should provide for accountability to Parliament.

Before she was asked to take over as Delhi chief minister, Sushma Swaraj, who headed the information and broadcasting, had promised to introduce a revised broadcast bill in the Winter session of Lok Sabha, starting on November 30.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report