ITV

Tag: Government mulls

  • Government mulls over opening FM radio to news, current affairs

    Government mulls over opening FM radio to news, current affairs

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government may open up FM radio sector to news and current affairs programming as also the content being provided by a foreign broadcaster, which would mean restructuring the policy guideline regarding FM radio, private participation and foreign holding in such ventures that is not allowed at the moment.

    This may happen as Auntie Beebs or BBC World Service (the radio service of the British Broadcasting Corporation) wants to hop onto the FM bandwagon in India and has opened up talks with the Indian government in this regard.

    Admitting that BBC is keen to use the FM radio vehicle and has evinced interest, information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told indiantelevision.com today, “Personally, I am not against news and current affairs on FM radio, but the issue of a foreign broadcaster doing so has to be looked into in detail before any stand on this can be taken by the government.”

    Prasad also hinted that BBC is keen to forge a tie-up in this regard with India’s pubcaster Prasar Bharati and use the vast network of the All India Radio for FM broadcasts.

    Recently, while in London, Prasad visited the BBC’s headquarters and spent almost a day there soaking in the functioning of BBC. He also visited Rupert Murdoch-promoted BSkyB’s DTH facility in the UK.

    But, if the government allows BBC radio to hook up with AIR and provide news and current affairs content to the AIR’s FM channels, it also cannot keep such programming out of the private FM radio stations who have been crying themselves hoarse that they should also be allowed to air news and related programmes to woo a wider spread of listeners.

    Moreover, if BBC World Service is allowed to hop onto the FM bandwagon, the government also cannot bar foreign investment, irrespective of the quantum, in private FM radio stations. At present, foreign investment in private FM radio ventures is disallowed, except FII shareholding as per the Reserve Bank of India guidelines, which is taken as portfolio investment.

  • Government mulls notification on STB offtake terms

    Government mulls notification on STB offtake terms

    NEW DELHI: Not satisfied with passing a law, the Indian government now wants to do micro-management of the implementation of the law. Especially when it comes to conditional access system (CAS), which has become a hot topic for debate all over the country with pro and anti CAS lobbies making merry.

    The government is now proposing to issue a notification that will ensure consumers, who go in for set-top boxes (STBs) in a post-CAS regime, are not taken for a ride by the suppliers as also the cable operator who’ll collect the security money in case boxes are taken on rent.

    According to senior government officials, the I&B ministry is studying a formula whereby loopholes would be plugged by the government in the manner of provision of STBs on rent.

    “In the event of STBs being rented by consumers, a time frame of the refund of the security deposit and the form of receipt (given to consumers) will be done by the cable operator as per a format specified by the government,” a government official, having access to the CAS files in the ministry, told indiantelevision.com today.

    The rationale behind the proposed legislative move, likely to be made public before 15 June, is that the cable operators would deal in a huge amount of money that would be collected in the form of security deposits (in case STBs are taken on rent) and there is a likelihood of the grievances of the consumers not being addressed once the money is paid.

    To protect the consumers from being harassed by cable operators in the event a person gets transferred from one place to another and needs his refund, the rule would ensure a safe return of the security deposits as per the various schemes being floated by the multi-service operators (MSOs).

    Since the proposed notification would also look into the issue of proper receipts being given by cable ops to consumers, the interest of the consumer would be safeguarded, government officials said, emphasizing the government is in top gear where education of consumers regarding CAS is concerned.

    Though the ministry has written to the broadcasters that latest by 10 June details of pay and free to air channels would have to be furnished, the formal deadline for pay channels’ individual pricing remains 15 June after which the government is unlikely to give any relaxation to the broadcasters.

    Government officials said that the issue of unbundling of channels may be part of the proposed legislative move on STBs if a separate notification is not brought out to make the truant broadcaster fall in line.