The Hindu Business Line : Separate content regulator likely for TV

OBSCENITY and violence in television shows are a cause for concern. The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry is planning to set up a separate regulator to monitor content on television channels.

According to top Government sources, "This regulatory body could be part of the proposed Broadcast Bill. However, any such proposal would have to be cleared by the Cabinet and Parliament."

Currently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has been working on guidelines related to carriage in the broadcasting sector.

The I&B Ministry has already initiated discussions with the Communications Ministry on the issue. "We have tried to explain why content should be separated from carriage and why there should be a separate content regulator," they said. However, how the regulator would be constituted and what kind of monitoring mechanism would be in place is yet to be finalised.

The Government has been concerned about the quality of content being beamed into a household. It is also working on a downlinking policy for channels beaming into India. This would help address issues related to obscenity and security.

The previous National Democratic Alliance Government had proposed a comprehensive Convergence Bill. It had proposed setting up Communications Commission of India to monitor both content and carriage through separate divisions. However, this was not introduced in Parliament and hence was not enacted.

Meanwhile, the I&B Ministry has decided to meet officials of women's groups, consumer groups and broadcasting industry to tackle the issue of content.

"We have been receiving various complaints from various groups. Hence, we are planning to have a round table on the issue next month to evolve a broad consensus," said Mr Navin Chaawla, Secretary, I&B Ministry. The major concerns have been related to obscenity and violence depicted in various programmes.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
BG to invest $250 m more in Panna-Mukta, Tapti oilfields

ICICI Bank net rises 18 pc in third quarter

Readymade garment exports up

VAT: States given option on rice, grains for 1 year

Sensex gains 20 pts on a day of sudden swings

Roadmap for FDI in private banks — Doubts over annual creeping acquisition proposal

ICICI Bank: In line with expectations

UTI Bank plans GDR listing in March

Separate content regulator likely for TV

When tsunami struck, they had no cover

Contributions to The Hindu Relief Fund