ITV

Tag: Ministry of Home Affairs

  • Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    Slow pace of court cases, MSO registration may delay DAS deadline

    NEW DELHI: Between the analog sunset and a digital morning are court cases and cumbersome and slow MSO registration processes. And, the deadline of 31 December 2016 appears to be becoming a distant possibility despite assertions to the contrary in the stakeholder-government meetings.

    A mere 26 MSOs got provisional registration in November 2016, taking the total to 1,059 and the number of permanent MSOs (with ten-year licences) remaining static at 229.

    With the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directive about doing away with security clearances for MSOs not being communicated in writing to the MIB, confusion prevails slowing down the registration processes of MSOs for delivering services in DAS areas.

    Junior minister in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Rathore had admitted in response to a question in Parliament recently that legal cases, filed mostly by cable operators relating to some phases of digital rollout, may delay the year-end sunset date for analog services in the country.

    Though MIB officials and regulator TRAI in public insist that final digitisation deadline won’t be extended, in private government officials do admit that in Phase IV areas, comprising approximately 100,000 villages, small towns and hamlets, seeding of STBs is far from the desired level. An MIB official pointed out after the last DAS Task Force Meeting late last month that cash crunch due to demonetisation of high-value currency notes has only added to the problem on the ground slowing down the entire digital rollout process.

    Further impeding STB seeding is the slowing registration of MSOs who’d actually do the work on the ground.

    MIB List of Cancelled Registrations

    Meanwhile, MIB yesterday released a list of 44 MSOs whose registrations have been cancelled or their proposal for licences closed – as against 42 in October and 29 at the end of September 2016.These cancellations exclude four cases – Kal Cables of Chennai, Godfather Communication Pvt. Ltd of Amritsar, Digi Cable Network (India) Pvt Ltd of Mumbai, and Intermedia Cable Communication Pvt. Ltd of Delhi — in which provisional or permanent registrations were issued after high courts stayed the cancellation orders in petitions filed by these MSOs.

    Most of the other cases in the list of cancelled registrations had failed to get security clearance from the MHA. However, there are cases of many MSOs holding provisional licences not completing certain formalities relating to shareholders and so on.

    According to the latest list up to 30 November 2016, the areas of operation of two MSOs (one each in the permanent and provisional lists) have been revised or corrected after 31 October 2016.Of the new licensees, three (UCS Broadband Private Limited of Lucknow, Elxire IT Services Pvt. Ltd of Haryana and Microsense Wireless Pvt. Ltd of Chennai) have got pan-India licences. Maury Diginet Pvt. Ltd of Bihar has got pan-India licence for Phase II, III and IV.

    The other new registrations after October 2016 include state-wide licences or for specific districts in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Delhi and Tripura.In one of the meetings of stakeholders at MIB it was revealed that though there were a reported 6,000 MSOs in the country, but only a handful of them had come forward to register.

    ALSO READ:
    MIB’s digital deadline dilemma: to relax or not

    30 MSOs got provisional licences in Oct, taking total to 1033

     

  • US hails Indian progress in Internet, cyber security

    US hails Indian progress in Internet, cyber security

    NEW DELHI: India and the United States are setting up sub working groups on priority areas to provide a mechanism for continued engagement in the areas of Internet of Things, Standards and Electronics and Internet governance.

    They also resolved to hold digital video conferences to discuss Government procurement practices of ICT goods and services, policy issues for unmanned aerial vehicles, and e-commerce.

    These decisions were taken at the meeting of the United States-India Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Working Group which promotes development of the ICT sector here on 27 September 2016. The participants decided to hold the next ICT Working Group in 2017 in Washington, D.C.

    The United States congratulated India on its tremendous progress in becoming the world’s second largest population of Internet users and the world’s fastest growing Internet user base.

    The participants noted that the Working Group aims to strengthen collaboration between the governments and private sector of the two countries in the field of ICT.

    Marking the occasion, the sides reviewed the deepening strategic partnership between India and the United States and their commitment to empowering citizens of both nations through increased access to the Internet and a thriving digital economy.

    Both sides discussed the accomplishments of the Digital India Programme in transforming India into a digitally empowered society and a key stakeholder in the knowledge economy.

    The two sides also discussed the Global Connect Initiative, launched by the US Department of State, to connect the next 1.5 billion people to the Internet by 2020. Participants resolved to continue collaboration with an aim to advance the goals of the Digital India Programme and the Global Connect Initiative.

    Separately on 28 September, the two sides held discussions on cyber security, where the aim is to affirm the common objectives in international cyber fora, especially the application of international law to state behaviour in cyberspace, the affirmation of norms of responsible state behaviour, and the development of practical confidence-building measures. The two countries decided to hold the next round of the Cyber Dialogue in Washington in 2017.

    The Cyber Dialogue is a forum for implementing the framework for the India–US cyber relationship.

    The whole-of-government Cyber Dialogue, fifth in the series, was led by the US National Security Council Senior Director for Cyber Policy Samir Jain (in the pix) and India’s External Affairs Ministry Joint Secretary for Policy Planning and Global Cyber Issues Santosh Jha. The Department of State Coordinator for Cyber Issues Christopher Painter and the National Security Council Secretariat Joint Secretary Abhimanyu Ghosh co-hosted the Dialogue.

    Some other American and Indian government organisations too participated in the discussions.

  • US hails Indian progress in Internet, cyber security

    US hails Indian progress in Internet, cyber security

    NEW DELHI: India and the United States are setting up sub working groups on priority areas to provide a mechanism for continued engagement in the areas of Internet of Things, Standards and Electronics and Internet governance.

    They also resolved to hold digital video conferences to discuss Government procurement practices of ICT goods and services, policy issues for unmanned aerial vehicles, and e-commerce.

    These decisions were taken at the meeting of the United States-India Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Working Group which promotes development of the ICT sector here on 27 September 2016. The participants decided to hold the next ICT Working Group in 2017 in Washington, D.C.

    The United States congratulated India on its tremendous progress in becoming the world’s second largest population of Internet users and the world’s fastest growing Internet user base.

    The participants noted that the Working Group aims to strengthen collaboration between the governments and private sector of the two countries in the field of ICT.

    Marking the occasion, the sides reviewed the deepening strategic partnership between India and the United States and their commitment to empowering citizens of both nations through increased access to the Internet and a thriving digital economy.

    Both sides discussed the accomplishments of the Digital India Programme in transforming India into a digitally empowered society and a key stakeholder in the knowledge economy.

    The two sides also discussed the Global Connect Initiative, launched by the US Department of State, to connect the next 1.5 billion people to the Internet by 2020. Participants resolved to continue collaboration with an aim to advance the goals of the Digital India Programme and the Global Connect Initiative.

    Separately on 28 September, the two sides held discussions on cyber security, where the aim is to affirm the common objectives in international cyber fora, especially the application of international law to state behaviour in cyberspace, the affirmation of norms of responsible state behaviour, and the development of practical confidence-building measures. The two countries decided to hold the next round of the Cyber Dialogue in Washington in 2017.

    The Cyber Dialogue is a forum for implementing the framework for the India–US cyber relationship.

    The whole-of-government Cyber Dialogue, fifth in the series, was led by the US National Security Council Senior Director for Cyber Policy Samir Jain (in the pix) and India’s External Affairs Ministry Joint Secretary for Policy Planning and Global Cyber Issues Santosh Jha. The Department of State Coordinator for Cyber Issues Christopher Painter and the National Security Council Secretariat Joint Secretary Abhimanyu Ghosh co-hosted the Dialogue.

    Some other American and Indian government organisations too participated in the discussions.

  • MIB grants 30 provisional MSO licences on 1 January to push DAS Phase III

    MIB grants 30 provisional MSO licences on 1 January to push DAS Phase III

    NEW DELHI: Even as almost six states now have received two months’ extension from their respective High Courts to implement Phase III of Digital Addressable System (DAS), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting granted provisional licences to as many as 30 multi-system operators (MSOs) on New Year’s Day (1 January) in a bid to push cable TV digitisation.

     

    With the new licenses granted, the total number MSOs holding provisional licenses has jumped from 382 to 412 in a single day.

     

    An earlier list had put the figure at 382 provisional licensees on 31 December, the day the analogue signals were to be switched off in Phase III that covers all urban areas in the country, showing 45 new MSOs had been added in the last fortnight of 2015.

     

    Adding to the 230, who have 10-year permanent licences, the total number of registered MSOs now goes up to 642.

     

    The Information and Broadcasting Ministry website did not display the number of permanent licensees, indicating that the number remains at 230 as it has remained since 20 November.

     

    But this slow pace is in direct contradiction to the fact that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had nearly seven months earlier announced that it was aiming to do away with security clearances for MSOs.

     

    The new licensees covering 11 states include two MSOs namely Hashmee Cable Network and Vaadi Television, who have got provisional licences in Jammu and Kashmir.

     

    The other MSOs are from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu where the implementation of DAS Phase III has been extended by varying periods. These are: Yuvaraj Cable and Anantha City Digital Comm. Network from AP; Hi – Tech Communication Network from Telangana; Rainbow Digitech, Sangli Media Communication, World Vision Cable Network, Chikhali Cable Network, Shah Cable Network, Shree Balaji Cable Network, TK Cable Network, Alone Cable Network, Amarnath Cable Network and Creative Cable Network from Maharashtra; and Tiruvannamalai Cable Network and Amoga Digital Netcom from Tamil Nadu.

     

    MSOs who have received licenses from the state of Uttar Pradesh are: Netvision Elegant Networks, V.B Distribution Cable Network, Welcome Cable Network and Jagjeet Cable TV Network; from Rajasthan are: Shekhawati Cable Networks, Om Cable Network, Kankroli Digital Network and Jaisal Cable Vision; and from Chhattisgarh are: CCN Digital Network and Vande Mahamaya Cable Network.

     

    Additionally, one MSO each from MP, Haryana and Karnataka namely Yash Cable Network, ABC News Palwal and RST Digital Media Services respectively received the provisional licenses.

     

    The number of MSOs was 612 on 31 December, 567 in mid-December, 553 by 24 November and 470 earlier in November, but this increase was merely in those who have provisional licences.

     

    Sources said many MSOs holding provisional licences had not completed certain formalities relating to shareholders and so on.

  • I&B Ministry took action on 91 complaints against TV channels since 2012

    I&B Ministry took action on 91 complaints against TV channels since 2012

    NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry took action on 91 complaints between 2012 and August 2015 against various private television channels, the Parliament was told today.

     

    This included warnings, advisories, apology scrolls, and prohibiting transmissions of channels for a fixed period, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said.

     

    A budget of Rs 22.41 crore has been set aside in the budget estimates for the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC), which is mandated to look at all private satellite television channels uplinked from and downlinked into India.

     

    The fund allocation for the same in 2014-15 was Rs 27.46 crore, while in 2013-14 was Rs 20.54 crore.

     

    The Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) set up to look into the violations suo-motu or whenever violation of the Programme and Advertising Codes took action on 91 complaints against various TV channels since 2012.

     

    The IMC has representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs, Law, Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, Consumer Affairs and a representative from the industry in Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). IMC meets periodically and recommends action in respect of violations. 

  • MHA holds up 56 TV channels’ applications for lack of security clearance

    MHA holds up 56 TV channels’ applications for lack of security clearance

    NEW DELHI: The Parliament has been informed that eight permission holder companies have been refused to set up television channels because the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declined security clearances to them.

     

    These include Mahuaa Media (earlier known as Pearls Media), which has applied for five channels; Sai Prakash Telecommunication for one channel; Positive Television, which applied for six channels and two teleports; Maa TV Network for four channels; STV Enterprises Ltd for four channels and one teleport; Indira Television for one channel and one teleport; and Lemon Entertainment for two channels.

     

    In addition, the case of Sun TV Network for 33 channels and two teleports is held up as the matter is sub judice. The company also owns FM radio channels.

     

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Parliament that four of these have been served show-cause notices and the matter is under process.

     

    The Ministry will decide on these cases on the basis of their reply in consultation with Home Ministry. 

     

    Permission and renewal of permission of satellite TV channels whose security clearance is denied by MHA are not granted. Such permission holder companies are issued Show Cause Notice (SCN) on the basis of legal advice obtained recently that gives them an opportunity to make their representation.

     

    After consideration of the same, their permission is cancelled with the approval of competent authority on merits.

  • MIB issues provisional MSO licence to Reliance Jio

    MIB issues provisional MSO licence to Reliance Jio

    MUMBAI: The wait is finally over for the Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio, as the company has finally got the provisional multi system operator (MSO) licence from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B). The licence was given on 17 June, 2015. 

     

    While I&B Ministry sources refused to comment on giving any such provisional licence, a source from the company confirmed the news saying, “We got the provisional MSO licence on 17 June.” 

     

    The telecom arm of Reliance Industries, Reliance Jio had applied for pan-India MSO licence in January 2015.

     

    This comes soon after the I&B Ministry decided to give provisional licence to MSOs who had applied for licences to operate in phase III. It can be recalled that in October 2014, the Ministry had decided to do away with the system of granting provisional licences and only giving permanent licences in order to ensure that only serious players entered the phase III and IV markets. 

     

    While, the Ministry had then said that it along with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will process the MSO security clearance within 90 days, the same has not been followed. This resulted in the I&B going back to granting provisional licences.

     

    Through a notice on 11 June, 2015, the Ministry accepted the delay in granting of security clearance by the MHA and so asked the close to 700 MSO licence applicants to file their application in an affidavit. Through the affidavit, the applicants had to commit that they have no criminal cases pending against them, and that they will shut down if they are refused security clearance. 

     

    “While we have got the provisional licence, now the MHA will come up with its guidelines, which we will need to follow to get the permanent licence. The reason that a provisional licence has been given is because the MHA was taking a lot of time to give security clearance,” said the source from the company.

     

    It can be noted that two of the pioneers of Indian cable TV sector: K Jayaraman and SN Sharma have already joined Reliance Jio and will be spearheading its business in the country.  

     

    Reliance Jio 4G rollout

     

    In its recent annual general meeting, Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh D Ambani informed that the ambitious 4G project will launch in December 2015 and that 2016-17 would be the first full year of commercial operations for Jio.

     

    After expending money to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore in acquiring spectrum rights across the country, the company is targeting to provide 4G services across India with an investment of more than Rs 70,000 crore.

  • MIB safeguards itself, asks applicant MSOs to sign affidavit

    MIB safeguards itself, asks applicant MSOs to sign affidavit

    NEW DELHI: Even as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) continues to delay security clearances to multi-system operators (MSO), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) today asked applicants to file their applications in an affidavit. The affidavit wants MSOs to commit that they have no criminal cases pending against them, and that they will shut down if they are refused security clearance.

     

    The MIB has also asked applicant MSOs to commit that in the event of any closure due to security clearance refusal by the Home Ministry, the applicants will not have any claim whatsoever against the Government for any investment that they made pursuant to the provisional registration.

     

    The note also bars those MSOs – or their parent companies – that have been barred provisional registration earlier.

     

    It is learnt that around 700 applications by MSOs are either pending with the MIB or the Home Ministry for permanent license under digital addressable system (DAS).

     

    A source from the ministry told Indiantelevision.com that the commitment had always been a part of the agreement between MSOs and the government, but it had now been decided to take it in the form of an affidavit, which would give it greater legal sanctity.

     

    However, sources from the MSO fraternity were of the opinion that the aim of the new affidavit appeared to be to prevent MSOs from filing cases in courts of law on being denied permanent registration. One major example was Kal Cables where the Madras High Court had asked the MIB last year to explain why registration was being denied.

     

    At the outset, the Ministry notes that, “A large number of applications for grant of MSO registrations have been received in the Ministry. All complete applications have been sent to Ministry of Home Affairs for security clearance, as security clearance is mandatory as per rule11C of the Cable TV Networks Rules, 1994 for grant of MSO registration.”

     

    However, the Ministry says that as per rule 11E of the Cable TV Networks Rules 1994, there is a provision to issue provisional registration on preliminary scrutiny of application provided such provisional registration shall not confer any right to the applicant to claim regular registration; and the provisional registration will stand cancelled where regular registration is refused.

     

    Furthermore, the note says those applicants will not be considered for provisional registration whose applications are incomplete, who do not furnish the affidavit and their willingness to obtain provisional registration, who have been denied security clearance earlier, and whose parent and/or subsidiary company(s) has/have been denied security clearance earlier.

  • Sun TV denies receiving official memo from MHA; shares crash on bourses

    Sun TV denies receiving official memo from MHA; shares crash on bourses

    NEW DELHI: Kalanithi Maran owned Sun TV Network Limited (Sun TV) today said that it had not received any information from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) or the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) about rejection of security clearance to its television channels.

     

    Shares of Sun TV crashed over 25 per cent on Monday, 8 June, 2015, as compared to the previous closing price on Friday, amid reports that the network’s 33 television channels may be taken off air by the MHA over security clearance.

     

    When contacted by Indiantelevision.com, a Sun TV spokesperson declined to comment on the rejection of security clearance as the network was still waiting for an official report.

     

    Reacting to the reports, Sun TV clarified on the bourses stating, “We wish to state that no communication has been received by the Company in this regard from any Ministry and all our Channels continue to be on air.”

     

    On the other hand, an MIB official confirmed to this website that the Home Ministry had indeed denied security clearance to Sun TV Network as a whole and that the decision would be conveyed to the network by the MIB and not the MHA.

     

    The MIB official also confirmed that this will affect all 33 television channels of the Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network. This may mean cancellation of the broadcasting licence. However, the Ministry official said that no decision would be taken in haste.

     

    Sun TV had applied to the MIB for renewing its broadcasting licence for 10 years, which also entails getting the required security clearance from the Home Ministry. 

     

    The Home Ministry is said to have taken this decision in the backdrop of the three pending criminal cases being looked into by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), against Maran and his brother and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

     

    Home Ministry sources denied that the decision was based on political considerations.

     

    Sun TV Network may approach the courts to get interim relief. However, no reply has been received from the Home Ministry so far.

     

    This is the second big blow for the Maran led company this year. It may be recalled that earlier in April, MIB minister Arun Jaitley had written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh to reconsider the denial of security clearance to 40 FM radio stations run by the Sun Network. 

     

    Sun TV shares (face value of Rs 5 each) opened lower today on the BSE at Rs 320.75 each as compared to the closing price of Rs 356.35 each and opened on the NSE today at Rs 320.80 each as compared to the closing rate of Rs 356.40 each. At the close of trading today, Sun TV shares closed at Rs 279.60 (down 76.75, -21.54 per cent) on the BSE and at Rs 278.65 (down Rs 77.75, -21.83 per cent) on the NSE. 

     

    On the BSE, Monday’s Low was Rs 258, whereas the High was recorded at Rs 320.75. On the NSE, Sun TV’s Low stood at Rs 257.45, where the scrip touched a High of Rs 320.80. The stock price breached the previous 52 week low on both the BSE and the NSE, also breached the lower circuit price of Rs 302.90 on both the bourses.

     

    The Sun TV Network is one of India’s largest media groups whose TV channels reach more than 95 million households across the country.

  • Madras HC denies stay on Kal Cables’ licence cancellation by MIB

    Madras HC denies stay on Kal Cables’ licence cancellation by MIB

    MUMBAI: As soon as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) came out with an order cancelling the registration of Kal Cables, the company run by the Maran group moved the Madras High Court challenging the order.

     

    The petition contends that there was no notice issued to it before cancellation. While the petitioner was seeking to squash the order, the interim prayer was to provide a stay on it. The court denied the stay and said that the 15 day deadline for winding up operations will continue. However it has stayed the MIB’s directive to put a scroll on its network informing them that the service will be cut and asking them to move to other MSOs.  

     

    The petition from Kal Cables managing director Vittal Sampathkumaran states that following the insertion of Rules 11A to 11F in the Cable Television Network Rules 1995, it had applied for grant of registration to operate as MSO in digital addressable system (DAS) areas in November 2012.

     

    In March 2013 the MIB granted provisional registration to Kal Cables which has now been revoked and has asked the MSO to wind up operations within 15 days. The registration was denied on the grounds of denial of security clearance. However, Kal says that there has been no change in its business operations, and hence this is no cause for denial of licence.

     

    The court has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to submit its report on why the clearance was denied. Counsel for MHA said that the document was confidential and could be provided only by Tuesday, 2 September.

     

    Kal Cables runs Sumangli Cable Vision that has operations mainly in Chennai.