I&B Ministry
EC endorses prompt payment of FM license fees
NEW DELHI: The Election Commissions uttering may not be music to the ears of the financially-beleaguered private radio FM companies operating stations in several cities of the country. But it has also put a question mark on the validity of the broadcast and cable regulators existence and recommendations.
The election regulator, in charge of overseeing the conduct of elections in India, a process that is underway at the moment, today afternoon observed that keeping in abeyance the licence fee payment of FM radio companies would amount to breach of model code of conduct during polls. This was in response to a query from the information and broadcasting ministry.
I&B ministry bureaucrats today said that private FM players may stand to lose their bank guarantees if the licence fee are not paid up by Friday.
This means that the licence fee, which became payable on 30 April, would have to be coughed up. Even a weeks grace period that is generally given under such circumstances gets over on 7 May.The licence fee of all the private radio FM players put together would amount to approximately Rs 700 million (Rs 70 crore), according to estimates put forth by bureaucrats in the information and broadcasting ministry.
This is a line that had been maintained by the bureaucracy, which had even made noting on files concerned to this effect. The cabinet secretary, earlier, had observed that any change in the present guidelines would need a Cabinet clearance, which at this stage is not prudent as it would attract model code of conduct during polls.
The finance ministry, to which the issue had been referred last week, put the ball back in the I&B ministrys court, saying it was up to the I&B ministry to take a call on the recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
Government officials told indiantelevision.com that only the new government could justifiably take up the issue of deferment of licence fee of radio FM companies through a process that is likely to be time consuming.
As and when the new government is formed, the issue (of FM radio) would be taken up afresh, studied and then a cabinet note would be prepared. The whole process could take up to three months as radio FM may not be the top priority for the new government, a senior official explained.
The matter of license fee payment by FM operators in the country has been moving from ministry to ministry for the last two weeks, even as operators sought relief from the crushing fees that fell due in the last week of April.
While the Entertainment Network run Radio Mirchi tried to seek legal succour from the Mumbai high court last week and failed, the Millennium Broadcast operated Win downed shutters, protesting the high license fees and demanding a more rational model. The latest to join the bandwagon is Radio Mid-day, which too has sought legal recourse and relief from the Mumbai HC. The case has not been heard yet.
All private FM players are keenly watching each other’s moves as well as waiting for the government’s next step, which could well decide private FM radio’s fate in the country.
I&B Ministry
IT Rules tweaks are clarificatory, not expansion of powers: MeitY
Govt signals flexibility as platforms push for clarity on user content rules
NEW DELHI: The Centre has sought to dial down concerns over its proposed amendments to the IT Rules, with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan asserting that the changes are intended as clarifications rather than an expansion of regulatory powers.
Pushing back against criticism from platforms and civil society, S Krishnan said the amendments “do not in any way actually give us wider powers” and are meant to remove ambiguity in how existing provisions are applied. He added that the trigger came largely from within the ecosystem, with intermediaries themselves seeking clearer guidance on compliance, takedowns and record preservation.
At the heart of the debate is the growing friction between platforms and policymakers over responsibility for user-generated content. Intermediaries have argued that they should not be treated on par with publishers, particularly when content is created and uploaded by users. Krishnan acknowledged this concern, noting that “a sharper distinction” between user content and publisher content is needed and is currently under examination.
The issue becomes more complex in enforcement scenarios. While registered publishers can be directly asked to modify or remove content, intermediaries often lack control over the original creator. “In such cases, the intermediary cannot direct those changes,” Krishnan explained, underlining the need for procedural nuance.
Another key proposal under discussion is to bring user-generated news and current affairs content within a more unified regulatory ambit, potentially under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The move follows suggestions that a single authority should handle such content, regardless of whether it originates from a publisher or an individual user.
Even as the government frames the amendments as a tidy-up exercise, fault lines remain. Industry players have flagged concerns over compliance burdens, especially for smaller businesses, and questioned whether advisories could effectively become binding without explicit legislative backing. Krishnan said the government is mindful of these risks and is exploring ways to ease obligations, including possible relaxations under certain provisions.
The ministry is also considering consolidating multiple advisories and guidelines into a more structured framework, a step widely seen as addressing long-standing confusion over what platforms are expected to follow.
On takedowns, the government has reiterated that due process will remain unchanged. Krishnan stressed that actions will continue to be governed by established procedures, with reasons recorded and review mechanisms in place. He also pointed to the surge in deepfakes and synthetic media as a factor behind rising content disputes, calling it a “scale challenge” for regulators.
Interestingly, Krishnan also framed social media platforms as commercial entities rather than pure vehicles of free expression, hinting at a broader shift in regulatory thinking as platform economics come into sharper focus.
With stakeholders seeking more time and, in some cases, a rollback of the proposals, the government has kept the consultation process open-ended. Krishnan said further revisions remain on the table, signalling a willingness to adapt the draft based on feedback.
For now, the message from MeitY is clear: the rules may not be tightening in intent, but the effort to define them more clearly is well underway.
