Taking an aggressive stand against the criticism levied by broadcaster bodies, the government is now in no mood to either review or roll back any provisions of the new TV licensing norms. Sources said the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry firmly believes that the new norms are in place to govern the entire gamut of 780 permitted TV channels and not just 35% television channels which are members of various broadcasting associations.
The new uplinking/downlinking guidelines came into effect on October 7. Under the new policy, the government will not renew the licence for channels found guilty of violating the ?Programme and Advertisement Code? on five occasions or more. According to the Broadcast Editors Association (BEA), the move aims to control the media, while the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) expressed ?regret? over the norm. Both bodies have demanded a rollback of this particular provision.
However, terming the criticism of the new norms as lobbying by select media houses, the I&B ministry has instead blamed the NBA, BEA and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) for not making any representation against any of the provisions of the new uplinking/downlinking norms when they were under consultation process. ?We did not receive any representation despite the matter being available on the ministry?s website since February 2011,? a senior government official said.
According to the official, the earlier uplinking/downlinking norms also had similar provisions which were even harsher. ?Three violations of the norms meant revocation of the licence and prohibition of broadcast for the remaining duration of the licence period. Failure to comply with government action led to disqualification to hold any fresh licence for a five-year period,? the official said.
Explaining the relevance and role of I&B ministry in governing the broadcast and cable sector, another senior government official said: ?There are 507 permitted TV channels today which are not members of any broadcaster associations. And when these channels violate programme and advertising codes, none of the associations, including NBA or IBF, can do anything to stop them. Therefore, all provisions in the laws are made to encompass everyone in the ecosystem.?
According to sources, the I&B ministry has been referring violations related to news channels to the News Broadcasters Standards Authority and non-news channels to BCCC under IBF without much redressal if they pertain to non-members. ?The I&B ministry has a job to do as per the Cable TV Act, 1995. And that is what it is doing,? said a senior official on condition of anonymity. Recently, even the Delhi High Court upheld a warning issued by the I&B ministry in 2009 to a show ?Sach Ka Saamna? aired on Star Plus.