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NEW
DELHI: A comprehensive Broadcast Services Regulation aimed
at detailed guidelines for regulating the content and distribution
of radio and television channels will be introduced in the
Monsoon Session of Parlianent.
This
was stated by information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan
Dasmunsi while replying to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation)
Bill 2007, making it mandatory for all cable operators to
show the Lok Sabha TV and at least two Doordarshan terrestrial
channels in the prime band. The Bill was later passed unanimously
by voice vote.
Dasmunsi said a draft of the bill had already been shown to
various stakeholders whose views were being ascertained by
him before giving a final shape to the legislation, which
would be a most comprehensive law on the subject. He indicated
that it would have provisions for a self-regulatory mechanism
for content regulation.
Dasmunsi
said the Bill had also become necessary because the number
of channels had grown manifold since the Cable TV Networks
(Regulation) Act was passed in 1995. He said there were 340
channels at present and this was expected to go beyond 400
by next year, and would cross the total channels in Europe
and the rest of Asia by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan.
The minister also announced that the conditional access system
had proved to be a great success and would be extended to
other areas in all the metros shortly.
Referring to the fact that almost all news TV channels were
spending around 60 per cent of their time on entertainment
news, he was meeting the editors of all channels next month
to discuss the content of the news bulletins.
The minister said the government would implement within the
next two months the recommendations of the group headed by
senior film artiste and former Member of Parliament Shabana
Azmi on checking piracy of entertainment software.
He said that the government did not believe in controlling
the content of the TV channels but had to ensure that no channel
passed certain permissible limits. He said that his ministry
had issued 75 show-cause notices to various TV channels but
had failed to get replies and therefore had to resort to the
strong measure of banning AXN and later FTV.
Explaining the procedure for this, he said that the inter-ministerial
group monitoring channels first went through the recording
of a programme about which a complaint was received and only
then decided to take punitive action.
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