Media’s independence will be significantly curtailed if the proposed Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill 2006 is passed by Parliament.
It empowers a takeover of broadcast services.
NEW DELHI: Media’s independence will be significantly curtailed if the proposed Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill 2006 is passed by Parliament. For instance, the draft bill states that the Central government will have the power to take over the control and management of any of the broadcasting services, in the event of a war or a natural calamity of national magnitude.
The government may even suspend a TV channel’s operation or entrust the public service broadcaster to manage it, during a war or any other calamity, states the bill, which is likely to be tabled in Parliament during the monsoon session. It points out that the government will “exercise certain powers in public interest”.
Also, the government may at any time, direct the licensing authority (Broadcasting Regulatory Authority of India or BRAI) to suspend or revoke a broadcasting service’s licence, if the service is “considered prejudicial to friendly relations with a foreign country, public order, communal harmony or security of the state.”
In addition, every authorised officer of the BRAI shall have the powers to prohibit any service provider from transmitting or re-transmitting any programme or channel, “if it is not in conformity with the prescribed content code, or if it is likely to promote feelings of disharmony or of enmity, hatred or ill-will between religious, racial, linguistic or regional groups or castes or communities or which is likely to disturb public tranquility.”
According to the draft bill, the government will have the power to make rules from time to time.
The draft Bill has proposed setting up of a broadcast regulator, which would issue licences to cable operators and MSOs. The Bill has also recommended that foreign channels must have a minimum of 15 per cent local content and that all channels should have at least 10 per cent of public service content.
The Bill has also proposed restriction on cross-media ownership: that is, no broadcast service provider can hold over 20 per cent in another broadcasting platform. Also, no broadcasting platform/service provider can own over 15 per cent of the total number of channels. And, the subscribers that a service provider caters to, can’t exceed 15 per cent of the total user base.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}