TRAI seeks views of stakeholders to frame National Broadcasting Policy

The telecom and broadcast regulator TRAI has sought industry views to frame ‘National Broadcasting Policy’ and has floated a Consultation Paper throwing open a range of questions from provisioning of affordable TV services, propelling growth of regional contents on OTT platforms and Ramping up the Indian films and making India a preferred filming destination.

TRAI had conducted preliminary meetings with the various stakeholders including Broadcasters, Direct-to-Home (DTH) operators, Multi System Operators (MSOs), Community Radio Stations (CRS) operators, Content Providers, Producers etc. as well as held discussions with eminent experts from government bodies, consulting organizations, industry associations etc., for detailed deliberations on the subject matter before preparing the Consultation Paper.

The ‘National Broadcasting Policy’ stipulates Vision, Mission and Objectives. Against each objective, possible goals, and the probable strategies for achieving those goals need to be identified.

It is understandable that the Government releases a policy which intends to achieve some measurable targets within a certain duration. Considering this, the National Broadcasting Policy may be formulated to fulfill certain achievable goals by mitigating the identifiable gaps and limitations following certain set of strategies for the broadcasting sector for the next 5 to 10 years, TRAI said in the paper.

The regulator has asked the stakeholders to suggest the strategies to be adopted by the Government and industry for propelling the growth of broadcasting sector with regard to i) Provisioning of affordable television services in ‘TV Dark’ households; ii) Augmenting R&D capabilities and promoting indigenous manufacturing of broadcasting equipment; iii) Employment generation with emphasis on skill development; and iv) Promotion of innovation led Start-ups and SMEs. UNI India