I&B Ministry To Set Up 'Techno-Commercial' Regulator

Information and Broadcasting Ministry wants to set up a separate ‘techno-commercial’ regulator for the broadcasting sector as it had grown exponentially over the recent years.

Arguing for a separate body to manage issues relating to technical and commercial aspects of TV channels, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said, ‘At present these aspects were handled by the TRAI, which essentially is a telecom regulator and broadcast sector is never part of its remit.

The minister also wanted that public broadcaster Prasar Bharati to be made independent on the lines of the CAG, but at least the government should be allowed a platform where it could propagate its policies.

During the first meeting of Sam Pitroda-led committee set up for Prasar Bharati revamp, minister said, “The government has no intention of putting a regulator in the statutory space. I am conversant with the TRAI Act and I find it a bit of oxymoron though some of my colleagues don’t agree that broadcasting was never supposed to be a part of the TRAI remit, broadcasting has grown and expanded in such an exponential manner that maybe the time has come to look on the techno-commercial side.”

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/digitization-news/item/2081-i-b-ministry-to-set-up-techno-commercial-regulator.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/digitization-news/item/2081-i-b-ministry-to-set-up-techno-commercial-regulator.html