I&B Ministry
President Pranab Mukherjee outlines Govt’s policy initiatives in electronic media & IT
NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee has said that the government is committed to deeper penetration of electronic media in remote and distant areas. In his address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget Session, he said auctions will be conducted for 135 vacant channels in 69 existing cities of FM Phase-II as part of first batch of FM Phase-Ill.
In an hour-long speech that outlined the policies of the government, he said that this would also facilitate migration of FM Phase-II to FM Phase-Ill.
Mukherjee said that this will take private FM radio to cities having population of more than 100,000 and border towns of Jammu and Kashmir, North-eastern region and island territories in a phased manner.
He said the government had envisioned an ambitious umbrella programme, Digital India, to prepare the country for technology based transformation and citizen centric transparent governance with service orientation. Aadhar based attendance system and Jeevan Praman, Aadhar based Digital Life Certificate Portal, had shown that innovative use of technology can make enormous difference.
Measures were being taken to accomplish digital inclusion in rural areas, small towns, north-east and other remote areas, opening up immense job opportunities in these areas. Promoting manufacturing of electronic goods has been an area of thrust, he added.
According to him, the government was committed to using space technology and its applications in governance, social and economic development and resource management. A satellite was to be launched shortly for the use of SAARC countries to foster greater partnership and development of South Asian Region.
In this context, he referred to Mangalyaan, which had been placed in the Mars Orbit on 24 September, 2014, making India the first country to do so in the first attempt. The country also successfully launched the first experimental flight of GSLV Mark-Ill on 19 December, 2014, which will enable launch of heavier satellites in the near future.
The Government had taken major initiatives for improving ‘Ease of Doing Business’ through simplification and rationalization of existing rules and procedures, Mukherjee said. Leveraging IT and use of modern technologies is a key strategy. Single window in a Hub-Spoke model is being made a reality.
He said Maximum Governance, Minimum Government was the guiding principle and with an aim to take governance to the doorstep of the poorest of the poor in remotest areas, focus is on simplification of official procedures and reducing the decision-making levels in government by leveraging technology. The system of Group of Ministers has been dispensed with, and emphasis is on swift decision-making. While introducing stricter and sterner measures to deal with corruption; effort is being made to ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place to protect bona fide decisions taken in public interest and to inspire confidence in the civil service.
The government was firmly committed to engage people in the process of governance and policy-making. A new initiative My Gov Online Platform has been launched. This platform has ensured public participation in decision-making and ideation of various national flagship programmes like Swachh Bharat Mission, Namami Gange, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and NITI Aayog.
The Government had formulated the National Sports Talent Search Scheme for encouraging sporting talent amongst children in the age group of 8 to 12 through National Sports Development Fund and Target Olympic Podium.
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
