Tag: R S Sharma

No plans to remove 12 mins ad cap for TV channels: TRAI sources

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is not considering any move to do away with the advertising cap of 12 minutes per hour for all television channels.

A TRAI source told Indiantelevision.com that even otherwise, a notification issued by the Authority can only be amended through another notification after the issuance of a consultation paper and consultation with stakeholders.

When his attention was drawn to the reported statement of a union minister to the effect that the ad cap served no purpose, the source said that TRAI had not received any instructions in this regard and would in any case take its own decision. He also drew attention to the fact that the matter was pending in court.

Meanwhile, the National Cable & Telecommunication Association and the Malwa Cable Operator Sangh have urged the Authority not to consider a blanket rolling back of its own decision – Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations 2012 – of an ad cap of 12 minutes per hour for all TV channels.

In separate but similar letters to TRAI chairman R S Sharma, the two bodies have said that it is imperative to appreciate the difference between those channels, which charge subscriptions and those that are free to air (FTA) before any decision is taken.

In their letters, Vikki Choudhary and Rahul Rawat who head the two organisations respectively have said it is important to categorise TV channels into three groups – FTA channels, FTV (Free To View) channels and Pay TV channels.

The FTA and the FTV channels do not charge any subscription while Pay TV Channels charge a monthly subscription fee from consumers, collected through the Distribution Platform Operators (DPOs).

They have therefore said there should be no advertisement duration permitted on these Pay TV channels. The duo pointed out that this is also an international norm and a logical way of doing the TV channel broadcast business worldwide.

August 17, 2015
Contest for PMO mobile app launched; winner gets trip to US

NEW DELHI: A contest has been launched for development of a mobile app for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his recent address at the 25th foundation day of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) had announced the intention to launch a mobile app for PMO.

The Government’s citizen engagement platform MyGov will host this contest in association with Google. The contest will be organized over the next three months in three areas of ideation, wireframe development and app development. The best app will be then presented to the PMO. The team developing the wining app will get a chance to visit the headquarters of Google in the United States.

The contest is open for all citizens of India above the age 18 years, who are registered on MyGov (https://mygov.in). Participants can submit their entries on the contest page. Each phase will be assessed by an independent jury constituted by MyGov.

Speaking on the launch, Communication & Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said views of the citizens collected through the MyGov and other forum have been incorporated into railway and Union Budgets.

The need to tackle benami properties and the idea for introduction of sovereign gold bound scheme have come through some suggestions from the people. He said this Government wants to take follow up action on ideas obtained through crowd sourcing and also wants to use social media for public good.

Deputy secretary R S Sharma gave an overview of the Digital India programme, whose aim is to first digitally connect all citizens of the government and then digitally empower them in participative process of policy making and being continuously informed of various government initiatives and programmes.

MyGov CEO Gaurav Dwivedi charted out the evolution of MyGov, since its launch on 26 July last year and laid out some key features of the newly released MyGov Version 2.0. Google India managing director Rajan Anandan, who is MyGov’s partner in the contest, spoke of Google’s commitment to partner India’s digital drive at multiple levels.

March 7, 2015
US and Indian experts agree to work on strengthening Digital India

NEW DELHI: Indian and American experts have agreed to continue exploring opportunities for collaboration on implementing India’s ambitious Digital India initiative, with the goal of enhancing digital infrastructure, deploying e-governance and e-services, and expanding the diffusion and use of ICT as a tool to expand economic opportunity, boost productivity, create jobs and empower citizens.

This was decided at the meeting of the United States-India Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Working Group, which promotes development in the ICT sector for mutual benefit was held in Washington, D.C. earlier this week.

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

During the two-day working group meeting, US and Indian government representatives held extensive discussions on ICT and telecommunication policy issues, focusing on accelerating broadband deployment, aligning spectrum policy for the mobile era and exchanging views on internet governance and best practices in ICT and telecommunications regulatory policy.

They also discussed issues relating to the international mobility of Indian skilled professionals. The joint government-and-industry discussions included panels on promoting manufacturing and investment; IT and telecom policy developments; Internet governance; mobility of skilled professionals and other issues related to trade, investment, and the ease of doing business. A panel of non-government experts also shared insights on strategies that may help India achieve the goals outlined in the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives.

Broad agreement was reached on the importance of policies that promote innovation in the ICT sector, facilitate the flow of data across borders, and foster the global and open nature of the Internet as a platform for economic growth.

Participants agreed to continue discussion of policies that stimulate rapid diffusion and use of ICT products and services and facilitate cross border trade that reduces costs to consumers and businesses. In this context, the US side noted the Indian concerns with regard to mobility of skilled Indian professionals, and agreed that the US government will continue to engage on visa issues for skilled professionals. In addition, the Indian side noted the US concerns relating to equipment testing and certification, and agreed to engage on issues relating to equipment testing.

Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda, who is Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the US Department of State, and R S Sharma who is secretary of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Communications and Information Technology Ministry, led their respective delegations.

The United States-India ICT Working Group was hosted by the US Department of State and included representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US Trade and Development Agency, the US Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Indian delegation included officials from the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), the Department of Telecom, and the Embassy of India to the United States.

The United States and India plan to hold the next US-India ICT Working Group in India later this year.

January 17, 2015