I&B Ministry
169 MSOs get 10-year licenses under DAS
NEW DELHI: With the addition of eleven more multi-system operators (MSOs) after 25 March, the number of MSOs who have been granted permanent registration for ten years to operate the digital addressable system (DAS) has gone up to 169, even as the Home Ministry has been forwarded the names of 82 MSOs who have been awaiting security clearance for a long time.
Most of these MSOs had been given provisional permission earlier. The new list is as on 10 April.
The MSOs who have received permission after 25 March are: M C Transmission of Bhatinda for Punjab; Skyvision Master Channel for In Yanam and East Godavari District; Arohon Cable TV Network of West Bengal for 24 paraganas (south) which includes Amtala, Bishnupur, Daulatabad, Gabberia, Julpia, baruipur, Mruogranut, Srichanda, Bhasa, Bibirhut, Pailan, Roypur, Fatehpur, Sirakol, Sibanipur, Falta etc. and District of Howrah in the state of west Bengal under Phase III and IV; Machillipatnam Communication for entire Andhra Pradesh under Phase III & IV; Uday Infosys of Dhansura for Aravalli, Kheda and Sabarkantha districts; United Cable Communications of New Delhi for pan India; Radiant Digitek Network of Kota for Phase II, III, IV of entire Rajasthan; N T Broadcasting of Perambdur for Perambalur, Cuddalore, Salem, Villupuram, Trichy and Ariyalur districts in Tamil Nadu; SR Digital of Madhya Pradesh in the State including cities/towns/villages under Phase ll, lll and lV; Mahathi Warangal Communications & Cable TV Network for Warangal and Karimnagar Districts; and Yelamanchil Cable Network Pvt. Ltd of Vishakapatnam for Phase III in the State of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
With the rejection of an application by Digi Navi Mumbai Network of Andheri (East), the list of MSOs who have been refused permission as on 10 April has gone up to 28. Some of those in the cancelled list applied as early as March 2013.
I&B Ministry
MeitY proposes tighter rules for digital platforms and intermediaries
Fresh amendments aim to formalise government directions and expand content oversight.
MUMBAI: When the rulebook gets an upgrade, even the internet might need to sit up and pay attention because India’s digital regulators are clearly not scrolling idly. India’s technology regulators have proposed a fresh set of amendments to the country’s digital media and intermediary liability framework, seeking to expand oversight of online content and formalise the government’s authority to issue binding directions to platforms.
In a notice issued on 30 March, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) invited public comments on changes to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The revisions are described as “clarificatory and procedural” but are clearly aimed at strengthening compliance and enforcement.
At the heart of the proposal is a significant shift in how intermediaries, including social media platforms, respond to government advisories. A newly inserted provision would make compliance with official “clarifications, advisories, directions, standard operating procedures and guidelines” a formal part of the due diligence obligations required for platforms to retain legal immunity under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. This change effectively elevates government communications from guidance to enforceable obligations, tightening the regulatory loop between the state and digital platforms.
The amendments also expand the scope of content oversight under Part III of the rules, which governs digital media ethics. The proposed revisions clarify that the code will apply not only to publishers but also to intermediaries hosting news and current affairs content uploaded by users. This could bring user-generated news content more directly within the ambit of regulatory scrutiny, a move likely to raise questions about platform liability and editorial responsibility.
Further, the government has proposed broadening the mandate of the Inter-Departmental Committee, a key oversight body. The committee would no longer be limited to adjudicating complaints but could also take up matters referred directly by the ministry. This shift signals a more proactive regulatory posture, allowing authorities to initiate reviews without waiting for formal grievances.
The draft builds on an already expansive framework. The existing IT Rules impose detailed due diligence requirements on intermediaries, including obligations to remove unlawful content within tight timelines, maintain grievance redressal systems, and ensure traceability in certain cases. Recent amendments have also introduced provisions addressing synthetically generated content, requiring platforms to label such material and deploy technical measures to prevent misuse.
Officials framed the latest proposals as necessary to ensure an “Open, Safe, Trusted and Accountable Internet,” while improving “legal certainty” and the enforceability of regulatory directions.
Stakeholders have been invited to submit feedback by 14 April, setting the stage for what could become another consequential evolution in India’s digital governance regime.
In the fast-moving world of online content, these tweaks suggest the government is keen to keep the guardrails firmly in place – because when the internet grows wilder, even regulators feel the need to hit refresh on the rulebook.
