In a bid to ease compliance burden on broadcasters and make India a teleport hub, the Centre on Wednesday notified new guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of TV channels.

The new consolidated guidelines, approved by the Cabinet, allow uplinking of foreign channels from Indian teleports (for downlinking in international markets) and usage of more than one teleport or satellite for uplinking channels. Also, requirement of prior permission for telecast of live events has been scrapped.

At the same time, private TV channels will now have a public service obligation to show programming on the themes of national importance and social relevance for 30 mins every day.

Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, said that revised guidelines are being brought in after 11 years to ensure ease of compliance and promote ease of doing business. He said that among steps taken for easing of compliances the new guidelines have done away with prior permission required for live telecast of non-news events, and now only pre-registration will be needed.

Eased compliances

The guidelines specify timelines for grant of permissions for uplinking and downlinking of TV channels. It has eased compliances such as allowing change of language or conversion of mode of transmission from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) for TV channels through prior intimation (doing away with requirement for prior permission). Earlier only companies could seek permission for a satellite TV channels or teleport, but now even Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) entities can also seek permission. Free-to-air channels, other than those uplinked in the C-Band, will now also need to be encrypted.

“LLPs/companies will be allowed to uplink foreign channels from Indian teleports which would create employment opportunities and make India a Teleport-hub for other countries. The new guidelines have broadened the possibility of allowing transfer of TV channel/teleport to a company/LLP as permissible under the Companies Act/ Limited Liability Act,” the official statement said.

Exemption for some

With regards to the obligation of private broadcasters to show content on themes of national importance for 30 mins per day, the guidelines define areas such as education, agriculture, rural development, science and technology, women empowerment and national integration. Certain private broadcasters such as foreign and sports channels are likely to be exempted. The Ministry will bring out a separate advisory regarding modalities for fulfilling this obligation after consultations with the industry.

Separate penalties

“Penalty clauses have also been rationalised and separate nature of penalties have been proposed for different type of contraventions as against uniform penalty at present. A news agency can get permissions for a 5-year period as against one year at present. A channel can be uplinked by using facilities of more than one teleport/ satellite as against only one teleport/satellite at present,” the statement added.

Of the 898 TV channels that broadcast in India, about 532 channels are estimated to use foreign satellites for uplinking and downlinking of their services.

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