I&B Ministry
I&B Ministry to reduce Trai jurisdiction over b’cast & cable sector
NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting ministry is now firmly of the view that regulation of content should be separate from carriage and is working on a legislation that would significantly reduce Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s jurisdiction over the broadcast and cable sector.
According to government officials, the I&B ministry has held initial discussions with the telecom ministry on the issue, trying to impress that content and carriage regulation should be separate, as opposed to the Convergence Communication Bill that envisaged a super-regulator for the IT, broadcasting and telecom sectors. Though officials indicated that no time frame has been set for such a piece of legislation, which would form part of the broadcast bill being tweaked by the I&B ministry at present, but talks are being held with the telecom ministry to facilitate this.
The Convergence Bill, which despite being a comprehensive piece of background work couldn’t see the light of the day because of political opposition to the creation of an over-arching and powerful regulator, falls under the purview of the telecom ministry and unless it agrees to the separation of carriage regulation from content, I&B ministry would find it difficult to have its say.
With regards to content regulation, the I&B ministry has also called for a meeting of industry stakeholders and women’s organisations and some non-governmental organisations early February to thrash out ” regular and frequent complaints” on images transmitted over television, especially those relating to violence and sex.
Meanwhile, the government has recently given clearance to three other organisations for starting community radio service, which has proved to be of some help in the aftermath of Tsunami disaster management.
The organisations that have got the final green signal from the government include the Delhi-based Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and Jamia Milia University.
At the moment, despite 18-0dd clearances given by the government, only one community radio service is up and running at Anna University in Chennai. The government has also asked the director of the community radio service of the university to examine whether further help could be rendered in the Tsunami affected areas like Port Blair through such radio services.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
