Trai extends date on 2nd consultation paper on media ownership

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has extended to 8 April its deadline for comments on its consultation paper on cross media ownership, which among other issues had sought comments on devising ownership rules for vertical integration between broadcasting and distribution entities.

The paper had been issued on 15 February, and the month-long extension is at the request of some stakeholders. Counter-comments, if any, can be filed by 15 April.

The paper will also devise rules/restrictions in case of mergers and acquisitions in the media sector, and media ownership rules within and across media segments.

Methodology to measure ownership or control of an entity over a media outlet, identification of genres to be considered while framing media ownership rules, and prescribing norms for mandatory disclosures by media entities are some other issues.

Trai has also discussed in its Paper issues relating to identification of media segments wherein media ownership rules are to be prescribed, and identification of relevant markets for evaluating various parameters to be used for devising ownership rules and the methodology for measuring these parameters.

At the outset, Trai said the paper had been issued at the request of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry earlier last year following a report of the Administrative Staff College of India, in Hyderabad.
Trai said that it was felt that reasonable restrictions may need to be put in place on ownership in the media sector, to ensure media pluralism and to counter the ills of monopolies.

It pointed out that such restrictions do exist in many international markets.