ITV

Category: Regulators

  • TRAI issues draft regulations on register of interconnect agreements, wants comments by 25 April

    TRAI issues draft regulations on register of interconnect agreements, wants comments by 25 April

    New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India today asked stakeholders to give their views on the periodicity and authenticity of the proposed register of interconnect agreements, apart from the format for such a register.

    Stakeholders have been asked to post their comments by 25 April with counter-comments, if any, by 5 May to a consultation paper and a draft of the Register of Interconnect Agreements (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Regulations 2016.

    The primary objective of register of interconnection regulations is to prescribe the contours of a reporting system to service providers to report interconnection agreement details to the Authority so as to enable it to maintain a register of interconnect agreements as per the provisions of TRAI Act. It is also useful for monitoring and analyzing market practices prevailing for interconnection agreements. Presently, the regulations mandate service providers to report the prescribed information annually.

    One clause of the draft register is for ‘Reporting of information, relating to interconnect agreements, by broadcaster of pay channel and the distributor of TV channel’. It says every broadcaster of pay channel and distributor of TV Channel shall report the information relating to all interconnect agreements entered into by them or modifications or amendments or addendums thereto which have been signed before and after coming into effect of the regulations that are valid as on the date of commencement of the regulations and shall be reported within one month for the previous ones and by tenth of the month for the new ones.

    A para on format of reports says: “Subject to the provisions contained in regulation 5 of the regulations, the broadcaster of pay channel and the distributor of TV Channel , as the case may be, shall furnish to the Authority, the information relating to the interconnect agreements in the formats specified in Schedule-I ( Format for broadcasters of pay channels), Schedule-II (Format for MSO and HITS Operator) or Schedule-III (Format DTH and IPTV Service provider) of the regulations as applicable.”

    Stakeholders have been asked to provide suggestions on this regulation of draft regulations and also the formats given in schedules and told that they can also suggest modified format for reporting to make it simple and easy to file.

    TRAI also wants comments on how it can be ensured that service providers report accurate details in compliance of regulations, and on digitally signed method of reporting the information.

    TRAI wants to know why all information including commercial portion of register should not be made accessible to any interested stakeholders, and if the commercial information is to be made accessible, in which way can this commercial information be made accessible to fulfill the objective of non-discrimination.

    If the commercial information is not made accessible to stakeholders, then in what form the provisions under clause (vii) and (viii) of Section 11 (1) (b) of TRAI Act be implemented in broadcasting and cable sector so that the objective of non-discrimination is also met simultaneously, the stakeholders have to state.

  • Make Film Museum interactive to ensure involvement of visitors, says Arora

    Make Film Museum interactive to ensure involvement of visitors, says Arora

    New Delhi: Information & Broadcasting Secretary Sunil Arora has said every effort is being made to make the second phase of the Film Musuem in Mumbai interactive, giving visitors a very unique viewing experience.

    He said, the museum should highlight the cultural and social impact of cinema on people.

    The remarks came during a review meeting of the National Museum of Indian Cinema at the Films Division in Mumbai on 22 March.

    The focus was on Phase II of the museum that will be housed in a state-of-the-art new building being specially built for the purpose. The progress of civil construction was reviewed and museum plans were discussed.

    The museum, spread over five levels, would showcase various facets of Indian cinema from its early years to present period. It will also have interactive exhibitions on all verticals of film making covering cinematography, editing, sound, script writing, screenplay among others.

    There will also be special sections on regional cinema, Hindi cinema, documentaries and Indian film music.

    The new bulding housed in the Films Division complex on Pedder Road in South Mumbai, will also have two mid-size auditoriums, viewing galleries, cafeteria among others. The building is being built by the public sector National Building Construction Company. The National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata under the Culture Ministry has been tasked with setting up of the museum.

  • Make Film Museum interactive to ensure involvement of visitors, says Arora

    Make Film Museum interactive to ensure involvement of visitors, says Arora

    New Delhi: Information & Broadcasting Secretary Sunil Arora has said every effort is being made to make the second phase of the Film Musuem in Mumbai interactive, giving visitors a very unique viewing experience.

    He said, the museum should highlight the cultural and social impact of cinema on people.

    The remarks came during a review meeting of the National Museum of Indian Cinema at the Films Division in Mumbai on 22 March.

    The focus was on Phase II of the museum that will be housed in a state-of-the-art new building being specially built for the purpose. The progress of civil construction was reviewed and museum plans were discussed.

    The museum, spread over five levels, would showcase various facets of Indian cinema from its early years to present period. It will also have interactive exhibitions on all verticals of film making covering cinematography, editing, sound, script writing, screenplay among others.

    There will also be special sections on regional cinema, Hindi cinema, documentaries and Indian film music.

    The new bulding housed in the Films Division complex on Pedder Road in South Mumbai, will also have two mid-size auditoriums, viewing galleries, cafeteria among others. The building is being built by the public sector National Building Construction Company. The National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata under the Culture Ministry has been tasked with setting up of the museum.

  • TRAI to give its views on net neutrality soon, govt confident of achieving total digitization by year-end

    TRAI to give its views on net neutrality soon, govt confident of achieving total digitization by year-end

    New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is expected to come out with its final views on net neutrality in ‘a couple of months’, its chairman R S Sharma said today. He said that the Department of Telecom had sought a comprehensive view on net neutrality.

    Speaking at the CASBAA India Forum 2016, he said TRAI had a month earlier ruled against Facebook’s Free Basics programme, upholding net neutrality and leaving a level playing field for all players. “No service provider shall offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content,” the TRAI said in the order on discriminatory pricing of data content.

    “No service provider shall enter into any arrangement, agreement or contract, by whatever name called, with any person, natural or legal, that has the effect of discriminatory tariffs for data services being offered or charged to the consumer on the basis of content,” the order said. The matter came to a head when Airtel decided to charge separately for Internet-based calls, but withdrew its plan later after facing public protests.

    He admitted that the regulations had not addressed various other concerns related to net neutrality in India but said TRAI had issued a consultation paper on the subject and also received various responses from both broadcasters and telecom service providers.

    Sharma acknowledged the challenges and opportunities as the country witnesses the fourth phase of Digital Addressable System (DAS). He said, “TRAI is not here to promote legacy systems in cable TV where a structural monopoly exists. With the objective of providing the right of choice to the consumers, we will allow the march of technology. At the same time, for healthy growth of the sector, it is crucial to strike the right balance between all the stakeholders through a constructive dialogue.”

    Taking lessons from the evolution of the telecom industry, Sharma urged the stakeholders in broadcasting to actively collaborate on issues like ‘infrastructure sharing’ and ‘set-top boxes’. “Today five or six telcos are willing to share one mobile tower showing how sharing and competition can go hand in hand. This can materialise in the broadcasting space as well. While TRAI has no plans to make infrastructure sharing mandatory, it may tweak the existing licensing system to provide support to the stakeholders who are interested in the idea,” he added.

    The issue of interoperability of the set-top box was discussed at length and TRAI’s S K Gupta stressed on the importance of pushing the use of a common set-top box by different operators. He pointed out that cost of procuring and maintaining set-top boxes weighs heavily on the balance sheets of MSOs, LCOs and digital TV companies. He also said that interconnected agreements between LCOs and MSOs can give two-way cable networks to the end users.

    Information and Broadcasting Ministry Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) R Jaya said “Phase IV of cable TV digitization is one of the most prominent routes to broadband connectivity which is key for providing services to citizens. It is high time for the industry to understand the value of interconnect agreements.”  She also reassured that MIB will complete its cable TV digitization drive by the end of 2016.

    At a later session, TRAI principal adviser U K Srivastava said that the regulations were being prepared on the basis of the responses received. Addressing a session on whether OTT can make a dent in India, he said OTT was now driving telecom service providers. Regulations were therefore needed to prevent manipulation or misuse. He did not rule out the possibility of another consultation paper in view of changes in technology. Essentially, he said the process had to be open and inclusive.

    Answering a question, Srivastava said it was too early to talk about carriage fee etc., but the regulator would want to ensure that the consumer pays for the services he receives.   

    The forum examined the ripple effect of the country’s digitization initiative, bringing together all the stakeholders including multi-system operators (MSO), local cable operators (LCO), DTH players, satellite technology providers, and regulators, among others was Digital India: The Four Phases of Cable Enlightenment.

    CASBAA’S CEO Christopher Slaughter set the tone by establishing the relation between the digitization of the cable TV system in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India campaign.

    Later Ministry Director (B and C) Neeti Sarkar said the ministry has minimal intervention on the content side of the broadcasting industry. “We have made our procedures smoother by allowing single window clearance at the time of launching a new channel. Having said that, there has always been room for dialogue with all stakeholders,” she said.

    TRAI advisor Sunil Kumar Singhal said that it is time to bring consumer at the centre stage and then create regulations. He said, “There is a trust deficit among stakeholders. In the last few years, significant investments have been made in the digitization drive. Now it is time for us to monetize these capabilities.”

    Ministry special secretary J S Mathur talked about the recent developments in the media and broadcasting industry. “At the Ministry, the pace of permissions has scaled up. In the first three phases of digitization, we covered 70 million (7 crore) households. We also realize the need for a broadcasting policy and are willing to have more related conversations with all stakeholders,” he said.

  • TRAI to give its views on net neutrality soon, govt confident of achieving total digitization by year-end

    TRAI to give its views on net neutrality soon, govt confident of achieving total digitization by year-end

    New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is expected to come out with its final views on net neutrality in ‘a couple of months’, its chairman R S Sharma said today. He said that the Department of Telecom had sought a comprehensive view on net neutrality.

    Speaking at the CASBAA India Forum 2016, he said TRAI had a month earlier ruled against Facebook’s Free Basics programme, upholding net neutrality and leaving a level playing field for all players. “No service provider shall offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content,” the TRAI said in the order on discriminatory pricing of data content.

    “No service provider shall enter into any arrangement, agreement or contract, by whatever name called, with any person, natural or legal, that has the effect of discriminatory tariffs for data services being offered or charged to the consumer on the basis of content,” the order said. The matter came to a head when Airtel decided to charge separately for Internet-based calls, but withdrew its plan later after facing public protests.

    He admitted that the regulations had not addressed various other concerns related to net neutrality in India but said TRAI had issued a consultation paper on the subject and also received various responses from both broadcasters and telecom service providers.

    Sharma acknowledged the challenges and opportunities as the country witnesses the fourth phase of Digital Addressable System (DAS). He said, “TRAI is not here to promote legacy systems in cable TV where a structural monopoly exists. With the objective of providing the right of choice to the consumers, we will allow the march of technology. At the same time, for healthy growth of the sector, it is crucial to strike the right balance between all the stakeholders through a constructive dialogue.”

    Taking lessons from the evolution of the telecom industry, Sharma urged the stakeholders in broadcasting to actively collaborate on issues like ‘infrastructure sharing’ and ‘set-top boxes’. “Today five or six telcos are willing to share one mobile tower showing how sharing and competition can go hand in hand. This can materialise in the broadcasting space as well. While TRAI has no plans to make infrastructure sharing mandatory, it may tweak the existing licensing system to provide support to the stakeholders who are interested in the idea,” he added.

    The issue of interoperability of the set-top box was discussed at length and TRAI’s S K Gupta stressed on the importance of pushing the use of a common set-top box by different operators. He pointed out that cost of procuring and maintaining set-top boxes weighs heavily on the balance sheets of MSOs, LCOs and digital TV companies. He also said that interconnected agreements between LCOs and MSOs can give two-way cable networks to the end users.

    Information and Broadcasting Ministry Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) R Jaya said “Phase IV of cable TV digitization is one of the most prominent routes to broadband connectivity which is key for providing services to citizens. It is high time for the industry to understand the value of interconnect agreements.”  She also reassured that MIB will complete its cable TV digitization drive by the end of 2016.

    At a later session, TRAI principal adviser U K Srivastava said that the regulations were being prepared on the basis of the responses received. Addressing a session on whether OTT can make a dent in India, he said OTT was now driving telecom service providers. Regulations were therefore needed to prevent manipulation or misuse. He did not rule out the possibility of another consultation paper in view of changes in technology. Essentially, he said the process had to be open and inclusive.

    Answering a question, Srivastava said it was too early to talk about carriage fee etc., but the regulator would want to ensure that the consumer pays for the services he receives.   

    The forum examined the ripple effect of the country’s digitization initiative, bringing together all the stakeholders including multi-system operators (MSO), local cable operators (LCO), DTH players, satellite technology providers, and regulators, among others was Digital India: The Four Phases of Cable Enlightenment.

    CASBAA’S CEO Christopher Slaughter set the tone by establishing the relation between the digitization of the cable TV system in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India campaign.

    Later Ministry Director (B and C) Neeti Sarkar said the ministry has minimal intervention on the content side of the broadcasting industry. “We have made our procedures smoother by allowing single window clearance at the time of launching a new channel. Having said that, there has always been room for dialogue with all stakeholders,” she said.

    TRAI advisor Sunil Kumar Singhal said that it is time to bring consumer at the centre stage and then create regulations. He said, “There is a trust deficit among stakeholders. In the last few years, significant investments have been made in the digitization drive. Now it is time for us to monetize these capabilities.”

    Ministry special secretary J S Mathur talked about the recent developments in the media and broadcasting industry. “At the Ministry, the pace of permissions has scaled up. In the first three phases of digitization, we covered 70 million (7 crore) households. We also realize the need for a broadcasting policy and are willing to have more related conversations with all stakeholders,” he said.

  • Taj TV directed by TDSAT to enter into interim agreement with Asianet subject to final judgment

    Taj TV directed by TDSAT to enter into interim agreement with Asianet subject to final judgment

    New Delhi, 21 March: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has directed Taj TV to enter into an interconnect agreement with Asianet Satellite Communications Ltd for Telengana and Andhra Pradesh as an interim measure and without prejudice to Asianet’s rights.
     
    The directive came after Asianet counsel Shirin Khajuria said that her client was ready for such an agreement on Taj TV’s RIO terms.
     
    Chairman Aftab Alam and members Kuldip Singh and B B Srivastava said “there cannot be any objection to such a request”.
     
    The Tribunal said that Asianet’s representative will visit the Bangalore office of Taj TV and the latter was asked to ensure that the agreement is executed on the same day and following the execution of the agreement the signals are supplied without any undue delay.  
     
    The interim arrangement under which the RIO agreement is directed to be executed between the parties shall abide by the final result of the case.
     
    Taj TV was directed to file the reply and the matter was listed for further hearing on 30 March.
  • Taj TV directed by TDSAT to enter into interim agreement with Asianet subject to final judgment

    Taj TV directed by TDSAT to enter into interim agreement with Asianet subject to final judgment

    New Delhi, 21 March: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has directed Taj TV to enter into an interconnect agreement with Asianet Satellite Communications Ltd for Telengana and Andhra Pradesh as an interim measure and without prejudice to Asianet’s rights.
     
    The directive came after Asianet counsel Shirin Khajuria said that her client was ready for such an agreement on Taj TV’s RIO terms.
     
    Chairman Aftab Alam and members Kuldip Singh and B B Srivastava said “there cannot be any objection to such a request”.
     
    The Tribunal said that Asianet’s representative will visit the Bangalore office of Taj TV and the latter was asked to ensure that the agreement is executed on the same day and following the execution of the agreement the signals are supplied without any undue delay.  
     
    The interim arrangement under which the RIO agreement is directed to be executed between the parties shall abide by the final result of the case.
     
    Taj TV was directed to file the reply and the matter was listed for further hearing on 30 March.
  • Govt. considering ways to check hoax calls and their sensationalization on electronic media: Rathore

    Govt. considering ways to check hoax calls and their sensationalization on electronic media: Rathore

    New Delhi, 20 March: The Government is examining ways to ensure that hoax calls about planting of bombs etc and sensationalizing of such news by the electronic media can be checked.

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha recently that the matter was ‘under consideration’.

    The question also related to the I and B Ministry planning concrete steps in consultation with the Home Ministry in this regard.

    In response to a similar question relating to anti-India messages on television channels asked in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said action is taken whenever any report is received by the Ministry about any anti-India messages.

    He stressed that programmes and advertisements telecast on private satellite TV channels are governed by the Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 1995 and the rules framed thereunder.

    The Act does not provide for pre-censorship of the programmes and advertisements aired on these channels. However, all these channels are required to adhere to the Programme and Advertisement codes which provide for a whole range of parameters to be adhered to for programmes on TV channels.

    Rule 6(1) of the Proqramme Code is clear that no programme should be transmitted/retransmitted on any cable service if it contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes.

  • Govt. considering ways to check hoax calls and their sensationalization on electronic media: Rathore

    Govt. considering ways to check hoax calls and their sensationalization on electronic media: Rathore

    New Delhi, 20 March: The Government is examining ways to ensure that hoax calls about planting of bombs etc and sensationalizing of such news by the electronic media can be checked.

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha recently that the matter was ‘under consideration’.

    The question also related to the I and B Ministry planning concrete steps in consultation with the Home Ministry in this regard.

    In response to a similar question relating to anti-India messages on television channels asked in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said action is taken whenever any report is received by the Ministry about any anti-India messages.

    He stressed that programmes and advertisements telecast on private satellite TV channels are governed by the Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 1995 and the rules framed thereunder.

    The Act does not provide for pre-censorship of the programmes and advertisements aired on these channels. However, all these channels are required to adhere to the Programme and Advertisement codes which provide for a whole range of parameters to be adhered to for programmes on TV channels.

    Rule 6(1) of the Proqramme Code is clear that no programme should be transmitted/retransmitted on any cable service if it contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes.

  • Expenditure on broadcasting by MIB up by almost Rs 400 crore between 2012 and 2015

    Expenditure on broadcasting by MIB up by almost Rs 400 crore between 2012 and 2015

    New Delhi: Broadcasting has occupied the largest chunk of the plan and non-plan expenditure of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry between 2012 and 2015. An analysis of the ministry’s expenditure shows that the Information sector came next with a slice that is far less than the expenses for the broadcasting sector.

    And though films are probably the highest taxed sector, it got a slice of less than half of that for the Information Sector. Expenditure on Secretarial services is minuscule in comparison to the overall budget for each year.
    The analysis also shows that the expenditure for broadcasting has been going up year on year, going up by almost Rs 400 crore between 2012-12 and 2014-15.

    The total expenditure on broadcasting in three years was Rs 6693.68 crore, while the expenditure on the three other sectors of the Ministry together for these years was less than one-third of this at Rs 1918.63 crore.

    Of the total expenditure of Rs 3158.53 crore in 2014-15, the expenditure on broadcasting was Rs 2467.4 crore, followed by the Information sector with Rs 466.4 crore, the film sector with Rs 176.33 crore, and Secretariat with Rs 48.4 crore.

    In 2013-14 out of the total expenditure of Rs 2828.52 crore, a sum of Rs 2157.19 crore was spent on broadcasting, followed by the Information sector with Rs 474.73 crore, film sector with 154.29 crore, and Secretarial expenses at Rs 42.31 crore.

    The total expenditure in 2012-13 was Rs 2625.26 crore. Of this, the expenditure on broadcasting was Rs 2069.09 crore, followed by Information with Rs 381.22 crore, films with Rs 133.02 crore and Secretariat with Rs 41.93 crore.