I&B Ministry
ABU to hold seminars on spectrum regulations
MUMBAI: Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) is organising a series of spectrum-related events in June to generate new synergies between spectrum regulators and broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific region.
The ABU is also providing specialist information on broadcasting spectrum to its’ members.
The Asia-Pacific Technical Regulators-Broadcasters’ Forum, to be held on 8 June in Kuala Lumpur, will address regulatory issues of a technical nature with a regional perspective that concern new technologies, services, spectrum and new players emerging in the broadcasting field.
Says ABU head of transmission technology and spectrum Sharad Sadhu in an official release, “The event has been put together with the assistance of several national spectrum regulators in the Asia Pacific. The ABU is organising such an event for the first time and we expect it to become an annual feature.”
The Asia-Pacific Technical Regulators-Broadcasters’ Forum will be followed by the ABU Preparatory Seminar on World Radio Communication Conference -07 (WRC) from 9 to 11 June.
This seminar will address pressing issues in connection with the International Telecommunication Union’s World Radiocommunication Conference 2007.
The seminar will expose participants to spectrum-related studies being carried out in various parts of the world, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition to these two events, in conjunction with BroadcastAsia in Singapore on 13 to 17 June, the ABU is organising a broadcasting spectrum usage workshop on 15 June, which is to be chaired by ABU technical director Wayne Heads.
The workshop aims to expose broadcasters and other industry players to the impact of new services on broadcasting spectrum and regional planning processes relating to spectrum usage, among other things.
It will also focus on the types of frequency bands used for broadcasting services as well as international regulations, governing the use of broadcasting spectrum.
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.
