I&B Ministry calls for fresh consultation & comments on draft broadcast Bill

 New Delhi, Aug 13: The Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry informed on Monday that it has extended the deadline for receiving feedback on the draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill till October 15 in view of wider consultations with all the concerned stakeholders.

“The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is working on a Draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill. The draft Bill was placed in public domain on 10.11.2023 along with the explanatory notes for comments of the stakeholders and the general public. “In response, multiple recommendations/ comments/ suggestions were received including from various Associations. The Ministry is holding a series of consultations with the stakeholders on the draft Bill.

Further additional time is being provided to solicit comments/ suggestions till 15th October, 2024. A fresh draft will be published after detailed consultations,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a post on X. On November 10, 2023, the I&B Ministry placed the draft Bill in public domain along with the explanatory notes seeking comments from the stakeholders and the general public. The government has been working on the draft Bill which is aimed at replacing the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. It provided for the constitution of a Broadcast Advisory Council, with government membership, which would hear complaints against the broadcasters.

The conditions could also be applied to streaming platforms and online influencers based on a Ministry notification. The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) had said that every broadcaster covered under the Ministry’s “regulatory ambit” would be required to comply with a code prescribed by the government and failure to do so would lead to monetary penalties or even imprisonment.