MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has extended the deadline for receiving comments on the consultation paper relating to uplinking and downlinking of TV channels. The new dates for receiving comments and counter-comments are 31 January and 10 February respectively.
The TRAI had released the paper on 19 December 2017 inviting comments by 18 January 2018 but has pushed the date on the request of stakeholders. It has also warned that no further extension of dates will be entertained.
The paper seeks to update guidelines and also talk about setting up of teleports. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) additional secretary Jayashree Mukherjee had sought TRAI’s views on the issues keeping in mind the changes in technology, market scenarios and lessons learnt over six years since the last guidelines were passed.
The specific question asked to broadcasters was if there was a need to redefine the definition of news and non-news channels.
The paper also hints at a possible hike in the net worth requirement to obtain uplinking/downlinking licence to ensure only serious players stay in the game.
On the teleport side, the TRAI is asking the industry how to define the word in the digital era, licencing norms, fee structures and if there is a need to restrict the number and location of teleports in India.
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