DTH NOTE FRAMED FOR MINISTERS
TO STUDY
Even as the BJP-led government was fighting
to survive in power, the information & broadcasting (I&B)
ministry completed its task of preparing a policy note on
opening direct-to-home (DTH) Ku-band television transmissions
in India. The note, according to Indian business daily,
The Economic Times, has recommended that the two-year-old
ban on DTH can be easily revoked through an executive order.
The note has said that the minimum licence
fee should be Rs 1 million with the maximum going up to
Rs 10 million, depending on the size of the DTH operation.
Another recommendation is that foreign equity should be
restricted to 20% in any DTH service. Non-resident equity
should be treated as Indian equity, the note says. It adds
that uplinking for any DTH service has to be done from India,
as it will allow any Indian government to keep tabs on it.
The group of ministers on DTH will study
the note before it is drafted as a policy for allowing DTH
in India.
