News Broadcasting
Plan panel urges deregulation in telecom sector
NEW DELHI: At a time when the government is attempting to push through a Central legislation to mandate what people should see (or not see) on television and what sort of technology should be used for set-top boxes, the Planning Commission has said that “deregulation” is the need of the hour.
“There is a need for moving away towards a lighter regulatory stance which is less directly involved in product launches of firms,” the Planning Commission in its approach paper for the 10th five-year plan has said, hinting that in an era where increasing convergence will take place between telecommunications, IT and broadcasting government involvement should be minimal.
In the section on telecom, a copy of which is available with indiantelevision.com, the Planning Commission’s comprehensive paper says that it is important for policy makers to steer clear of decisions (such as the closed user group policy or restrictions on voice over Internet protocol) that prevent economic agents from pursuing optimal paths.
“Currently, government is involved in every new technology that arises in telecom (as also in other sectors of convergence). Whether we discuss VSAT or VoIP, it has not been possible for private players to proceed on building firms and launching products without reference to the State. This has a wide variety of negative ramifications such as delays, political pressures, anti-competitive devices to block new technology, etc,” the Planning Commission has observed.
It may be worthwhile mentioning here, as an aside, that earlier in the year the Planning Commission had also observed that the policy guidelines relating to KU-band direct-to-home (DTH) TV services are restrictive and need to be reviewed as even after 18 months of the policy announcement no investment had been made in this sector.
In its approach paper for the 10th five-year plan, the plan panel has cited an example to highlight how constant government involvement where technology is concerned hampers newer technologies from entering the country.
Pointing out that a new vehicle for delivering broadband Internet services – the 802.11 standard – should be possible for firms to rollout 802.11 products and immediately impact the market, the plan panel has said: “However, in the current regulatory climate, it is likely that this will require taking permissions, await the drafting of the 802.11 policy which will generate political roadblocks, etc.”
Going beyond policies that uphold connections between consenting economic agents, there is also a need to proceed with the complete deregulation of value-added services such as e-mails, ISPs, etc, where the services being produced are not public goods and, hence, can be handled by purely private competitive markets.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
