ITV

Category: Regulators

  • V Raghunandan roped in as new TRAI secretary

    New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday announced the appointment of V Raghunandan as the new secretary of the regulatory body.

    Raghunandan was working as a deputy director general at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

    The decision comes after the current TRAI secretary Sunil Kumar Gupta’s two-month extension comes to an end. Gupta was appointed the TRAI secretary in September, 2018, post the retirement of Sudhir Gupta. His tenure was extended till 31 May.

    Gupta has now been appointed as a senior deputy director general at the office of director general – Telecom in the DoT. He will oversee all field units under the 22 Licensed Service Areas (LSA).

  • No exemption for mainstream media from new IT rules, says MIB

    New Delhi: The ministry of information and broadcasting has refused to grant an exemption to the digital news content of mainstream television channels and print media from the ambit of the new IT Rules, 2021 and asked all the digital news publishers and the OTT platforms to comply with the new rules without any misapprehensions.

    Asserting that the rationale for bringing the websites of the organisations under the ambit of the law is well-reasoned, the ministry said, making an exception of the nature proposed “will be discriminatory to the digital news publishers who do not have a traditional TV/print platform.”

    The order dated 10 June provides clarification to digital news publishers, publishers of online curated content or OTT platforms, and associations of digital media publishers who had requested the government for an exemption under the new rules, highlighting that they are already “sufficiently regulated.”

    “Since the code of ethics requires such digital platforms to follow the existing norms/content regulations, which are in vogue for the traditional print and TV media, there is no additional regulatory burden for such entities,” the ministry stated, “Accordingly, the request for exempting the digital news content of such organisations from the ambit of digital media rules 2021 cannot be acceded to.”

    The ministry also took note of the fact that traditional TV and print media are already registered with the government either under the Press and Registration Books Act or the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines of 2011, and added, that they can request the same self-regulatory bodies to serve as the Level II of the self-regulatory mechanism. But, before that, they need to ensure consistency with the Digital Media Rules, 2021, it added.

    The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 that into effect on 26 May recommend a three-tier mechanism for the regulation of all online media. Under the rules, the digital publishers are required to take urgent steps for appointing a grievance officer, if not done, and place all relevant details in the public domain. “They also need to constitute self-regulatory bodies through mutual consultation so that the grievances are addressed at the level of publishers or the self-regulating bodies themselves,” the ministry said. More than 500 publishers have already submitted their details in the requisite format, it added. 

    The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) which had earlier sought exemption from the new IT rules, issued a statement on Friday stating that all current and prospective members have fully complied with the requirements of new rules.
     

  • MIB appoints former journalist Kanchan Gupta as senior adviser

    New Delhi : The union ministry of information and broadcasting has appointed former journalist Kanchan Gupta as a senior advisor for a period of one year.

    Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar shared the announcement on Twitter, congratulating Gupta.

    Earlier this year, Gupta was made a member of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 125th Birth Anniversary Commemoration High Level Committee, which is headed by prime minister Narendra Modi. He has also been the chairperson of the Kolkata based Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation.

    A senior journalist with over three decades of experience, Gupta started his career with The Telegraph in 1982 and went on to work with The Statesman and The Pioneer. He mostly wrote on national and regional politics, international affairs and security issues.

  • NBF members comply with new IT rules

    Kolkata : The News Broadcasters Federation has stated that all its current members duly complied with requirements of the 25 Feb issued Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”) by providing required information of their entities. Even actively prospective members have complied with the new rules before the due date, it said.

    The ministry of electronics and information  technology (MeitY) and ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) had asked for compliance status data of the new IT rules on 26 May from digital platforms of traditional news media companies, even allowing 15 days for due compliance.

    NBF affiliate news broadcasters,  both national and regional networks, provided information sought under IT Rules, 2021 even before the 10 June deadline. 

    With this, NBF has assumed the status of first industry organisation to quickly adopt the code, aimed at a “strong and robust self-regulatory mechanism” facing more accountability and transparency in audiovisual news streaming. 

    It has also endorsed the responsibility of accountable journalism expected from its member broadcasting companies,  and their digital outlets, who enjoy their all-pervading presence across languages, states and, through the length and breadth of India.

    The NBF self-regulatory authority is established as a unique content regulatory mechanism notwithstanding the platform delivering the information, to significantly large audiences in the country.

  • TRAI introduces new regulations for technical compliance of CAS & SMS

    KOLKATA: In a bid to put an end to content piracy in the pay TV ecosystem, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday amended the interconnection regulations 2017, incorporating a framework for technical compliance of CAS & SMS.

    The authority has been receiving several complaints about the unauthorized distribution of signals and under-declaration of subscribers by distribution platforms, despite the implementation of the new regulatory digitization of the cable TV industry.

    “Sub-standard CAS and SMS also render the distribution network vulnerable to hacking and content piracy,” it said in a statement.

    According to TRAI, the framework is the first step to define an indigenous set of specifications in the line of international standards. A tightly synchronised working of CAS and SMS, as specified by the framework, will enable factual reporting of subscriber base etc. Eventually, this will reduce the revenue loss to stakeholders on account of erroneous subscription reporting.  

    “Better assurance of due revenue, in turn, may encourage the stakeholders to invest for further improvement in quality of content and service thereby benefiting the end consumer,” TRAI noted. Moreover, it will also usher-in better content security in the distribution value chain.

    The authority came out with a consultation paper seeking views on standardization of these systems last April. It also held an open house discussion later. The comments of the stakeholders received by TRAI during the consultation process were analysed. In view of the technical nature of the matter, the Authority decided to form a committee of members across the industry, related institutions.

    The committee, after extensive deliberations, recommended introducing a testing and certification regime for CAS and SMS to ensure better conformity to the standards and to improve the customer experience.

    Distribution platform operators will now need to obtain certification for their CAS and SMS systems from the certification and testing agency. The framework will be implemented through a testing and certification agency.

  • Justice Sikri to chair grievance redressal board for digital publishers under IAMAI

    KOLKATA: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) announced on Thursday that former Supreme Court Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri will chair the Grievance Redressal Board (GRB), formed as a part of the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC). 

    The GRB will address content grievances about any of the DPCGC member’s video streaming services. It will function as an independent body and act as the second-tier within the three-tier grievance redressal mechanism as envisioned by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Under Justice Sikri’s leadership, the GRB will aim to provide independent adjudication on content grievances escalated to it.

    The members of the GRB include prominent personalities from the media and entertainment industry, online curated content providers, experts from various fields including child rights, women rights, and media laws. The Grievance Redressal Board includes National award-winning actress Suhasini Maniratnam; Madhu Bhojwani, Indian film Producer and partner at Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures; Gopal Jain, senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; and Dr. Ranjana Kumari, eminent Civil Society representative who currently serves as the director of the Centre for Social Research and as the chairperson of Women Power Connect. The two members from the Online Curated Content Providers are Amit Grover, senior corporate counsel, Amazon India, and Priyanka Chaudhari, director-legal, Netflix India.

    IAMAI had recently announced the formation of the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council as an independent self-regulatory organization to provide a grievance redressal platform for Online Curated Content consumers. The DPCGC will empower consumers to make informed viewing choices and promote creative excellence, which are keys to the long-term success of the Indian entertainment industry.

    The appointment of GRB members is a crucial step towards setting up an independent grievance redressal mechanism in alignment with IT Rules 2021, it said on Thursday. The GRB will oversee and ensure the alignment and adherence to the Code of Ethics by the DPCG Council members, provide guidance to member entities on the Code of Ethics, and address grievances that have not been resolved by the publisher within the stipulated period.

    The DPCGC currently has 14 publishers of online curated content as members, which include Amazon Prime Video, Alt Balaji, Apple, BookMyShow Stream, Eros Now, Firework TV, Hoichoi, Hungama, Lionsgate Play, MX Player, Netflix, Reeldrama, Shemaroo, and Ullu.

    Tags: IAMAI, Netflix, Amazon India, OTT, Streaming Service, New IT rules, Justice Sikri.

  • Making all efforts to comply with new IT media guidelines, says Twitter

     New Delhi : US tech giant Twitter on Monday said that it has assured the government that it is making every effort to comply with the new IT media guidelines. The microblogging site said it has already shared an overview of the progress with the government.

    A Twitter spokesperson said that the company has been and remains deeply committed to India and serving the vital public conversation taking place on the service and will continue its constructive dialogue with the Indian government, reported ANI.

    “We will continue our constructive dialogue with the Indian government,” the spokesperson added. According to media reports, Twitter has sought more time in wake of the pandemic situation in the country.

    Union ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) had on Saturday issued ‘one last notice’ to Twitter Inc asking it to immediately comply with the new IT rules, failing which it could face stern action and lose exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act, 2000.

    According to the ministry, the US company has not informed about the details of the chief compliance officer. The resident grievance officer and nodal contact person nominated was not an employee of Twitter Inc in India, as required by rules. Furthermore, the office address of Twitter Inc shared by the company was that of a law firm in India, which was also not as per rules.

    The new IT (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) rules, 2021 came into effect on 26 May, but Twitter has refused to comply with the provisions of these Rules, the government said.

    The rules recommend a three-tier mechanism for regulation of all online media. As per the rules, each significant social media intermediary is required to appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies and a resident grievance officer. All three should be resident Indians.

    Meanwhile, Facebook on Monday named Spoorthi Priya as its chief grievance officer on it’s website and shared her email ID. Google and WhatsApp have already shared the details of their chief grievance officers as per the rules.

    India is a major market for global digital platforms. As per data shared by the government, India has 53 crore WhatsApp users, 41 crore Facebook subscribers, 21 crore Instagram clients, while 1.75 crore account holders are on Twitter.

  • Govt serves ‘one last notice’ to Twitter to ‘immediately’ comply with IT rules

    New Delhi: The government on Saturday issued ‘one last notice’ to Twitter Inc asking it to immediately comply with the new IT rules, failing which it could face stern action and lose exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act, 2000. This essentially means that the platform could be held responsible for content posted by the users.

    “The provisions for significant social media intermediaries under the Rules have already come into force on 26 May and it has been more than a week but Twitter has refused to comply with the provisions of these rules,” the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) wrote to Twitter’s deputy general counsel, Jim Baker on Saturday.

    According to the ministry, the US company has not informed about the details of the chief compliance officer. The resident grievance officer and nodal contact person nominated is not an employee of Twitter Inc in India, as required by rules. Furthermore, the office address of Twitter Inc shared by the company is that of a law firm in India, which is also not as per rules.

    Twitter’s refusal to comply with the rules demonstrated its “lack of commitment and efforts towards providing a safe experience for the people of India on its platform,” it said. The ministry highlighted that the US tech giant has been operational in India for over a decade and “it is beyond belief that it has still doggedly refused to create mechanism that will enable the people of India to resolve their issues on the platform in a timely and transparent manner and through fair processes, by India based, clearly identified resources.”

    Though with effect from 26 May, “consequences follow” given Twitter’s non-compliance with rules, however, the ministry wrote, as a “gesture of goodwill”, it is giving Twitter Inc one last notice to immediately comply with the rules, failing which it will be liable for consequences as per the IT Act and other penal laws of India.

    The new IT (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) rules, 2021, recommend a three-tier mechanism for regulation of all online media. As per the rules, each significant social media intermediary is required to appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies and a resident grievance officer. All three should be resident Indians.

    The intermediaries are also required to prominently publish on their website, app or both, the name of the grievance officer and his/her contact details as well as the mechanism by which a user or a victim may make a complaint. The grievance officer would be required to acknowledge the complaint within 24 hours and resolve it within 15 days from its receipt. The government has also asked the significant social media intermediaries providing services primarily in the nature of messaging “to enable identification of the first originator of the information.”

  • MIB asks GECs to promote Covid helplines

    Mumbai: The union ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) asked general entertainment channels (GECs) to promote six central government Covid helpline numbers. The country is battling with its worst-ever health crisis, with over 2,500 people succumbing to the infection daily.

    “The private general entertainment (non-news) TV channels are advised to promote awareness of these six national level helpline numbers by way of a ticker or such (other) appropriate ways as they may consider, at periodical intervals,” the I&B ministry said in its recent advisory.

    It has asked channels to promote national helpline numbers that include the union ministry for health and family welfare (1075), women and child development ministry (1098), and the national institute of mental health and neuro-sciences for psychological support (08046110007).

    Apart from these three major helplines,it has also sought to promote other helpline numbers that include, the AYUSH COVID-19 counselling number (14443), the MyGovWhatsApp help desk (9013151515), and that of the union ministry of social justice and empowerment for senior citizens (14567).

    In its advisory, the I&B ministry noted that the second wave of the coronavirus in India was showing signs of slowing down, even as the number of fresh cases was still on the higher side. On Friday, the country recorded as many as 1,34,000 new cases. The advisory also lauded private channels for complementing government efforts to fight the Covid pandemic by creating awareness regarding the infection.