The Central government on Wednesday approved new guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of TV channels in India. Under the new guidelines, no prior permission will be needed by permit holders for live telecasts of events. Specific timelines have been proposed for granting permission to broadcasters.
“The new guidelines will ensure ease of compliance for permission holders of TV channels and promote ease of doing business, ” Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said.
Under new guidelines, Indian teleports will be permitted to uplink foreign channels. However, the new rule says all private channels will be obligated to run at least 30 minutes programmes daily on issues of national importance and social relevance.
As per government data of the 898 television channels broadcast in the country, 532 use foreign satellites for uplinking and downlinking of their services.
According to Chandra, the government has released the new guidelines after around 11 years. The earlier guidelines were issued in 2011.
“We’ve taken the approval of the Union Cabinet, as per the improvement we have considered over the years… we have made multiple improvements in terms of ease of doing business,” he added.
India Now An Uplinking Hub
Earlier on October 28, Chandra, while addressing the India Space Congress, said the Information and Broadcasting Ministry want to deregulate uplinking to satellites under the guidelines so that India can become a hub.
He said that under new guidelines, neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan can also use India as a hub for uplinking their television channels.
For providing uplinking and downlinking services to television channels, the government had approved USD 102 million (one million = 10 lakh) in remittances to foreign satellite operators over the past two years, Chandra said.
Currently, several satellite television channels use Singapore as the hub for broadcasting their channels and the deregulation of uplinking could help India emerge as a hub.
Other Salient Features Of Guidelines
- Under new guidelines, the TV channels uplinking in a frequency band other than the C band will be mandatorily required to encrypt their signals, according to a report by Best Media Info.
- Under new rules, a channel can be uplinked by using facilities of more than one teleport/satellite as against only one teleport/satellite.
- The guidelines also permit the teleport operators to uplink a foreign channel for being downlinked outside India– like Bhutan, and Nepal– enabling earning of foreign exchange for the operator.
- The new guidelines have removed certain restrictions for the transfer of a channel from one entity to another, enabling easy takeover.
- Earlier, only a company was eligible. The new guideline also permits an LLP for uplinking and downlinking TV channels.
- Earlier permission was required for broadcasting live telecasts for non-news content. Under new rules, no permission is required and only prior registration is needed.
- Earlier permission was also required for language change and transition from SD to HD permission. Now, only intimation would be required for this under new guidelines.
- Under new rules, no permission will be needed for the hiring of dsng/sng for live.
- The new rules also permit Indian teleport to uplink foreign channels for downlinking content abroad.
- Under new rules, permit private channels will have to telecast content in national interest/for public services. It will be the channel’s content and the government will it. “The companies/LLPs having permission to uplink and downlink a channel may undertake public service broadcasting (except where it may not be feasible) for a minimum period of 30 minutes in a day on themes of national importance and of social relevance,” the guidelines said.
- Under new rules, broadcasters will also have to renew their approval for net worth as per 2011 guidelines.
- Earlier there were provisions for a security deposit. Now, the security deposit would be twice the annual permission fee.
- Earlier there was also no provision for a penalty for misuse of permission by subletting. Now, involving in such activity will attract suspension of permission for the licence.
- Under new rules, govt will charge a simple interest of 1% on late payment of the annual permission fee.
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