BROADCASTING BILL: DELAYED ONCE AGAIN

Broadcasters will have to wait for a few more months before they finally get a broad framework of regulations under which they can operated in India. It looks highly unlikely that the BJP government will be able to table the long-pending Broadcasting Bill in parliament in the winter session, which began on 30 November.

A month or so ago, it had shifted information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Sushma Swaraj as chief minister of Delhi in order to boost the party's chances at local elections. While Swaraj won her seat, her party got a thrashing in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan - three states where the Congress party swept away a majority of the seats in the state legislative assembly.

Local pundits are already predicting that the BJP will have a shaky winter session in parliament with some allies, which have been backing it so far, threatening to withdraw their support after the BJP's debacle at the state elections. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said that her party has no intention of forming a government at the Centre. BJP Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has also said that his party will continue to stay in power and that he will be focusing on economic reforms.

One casualty of the political instability is that the Broadcasting Bill will not be introduced this session. In fact, I&B minister of state M.A. Naqvi admitted this last week, adding that the bill will likely get into parliament in the session following the winter one. He has called for a national debate on the final draft of the Broadcasting Bill that has been prepared.

The ministry is also examining whether the government can pass some regulation outside of the Bill. One of the rules that it is interested in amending is the up linking one, which allows only existing broadcasters to up-link from India. Naqvi says he would like new broadcasters who are not beaming their programming into India, but are interested in doing so, to be allowed to up link from India. He told a local newspaper that a cabinet note or a notification is likely to be issued soon to bring about this change.

The government is also seeking to make carriage of three Doordarshan channels - as against two earlier -- compulsory on cable networks. A modification in the Cable TV Networks Regulations Act is to be brought about to make clear and uncluttered transmission of three DD channels compulsory by cable operators to subscribers, Naqvi says.

However, it is not clear whether he will continue to call the shots at the ministry because punters are already betting that Swaraj will make a comeback as his superior now that her party has lost at the elections. She has resigned as Delhi chief minister.