Industry leaders, including Anant Nath, President of the Editors Guild of India, are advocating for broader stakeholder engagement
The media industry is urging the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to ensure an open and transparent consultation process before finalizing the new draft of the Broadcast Services Regulation Bill. Concerns have arisen after the ministry circulated a second draft in July to select stakeholders without public disclosure.
The first draft, released in November 2023, faced criticism for lacking transparency as public comments were not made available. Industry leaders, including Anant Nath, President of the Editors Guild of India, are advocating for broader stakeholder engagement, emphasizing the importance of strengthening self-regulation rather than increasing government control over content. Nath suggested that empowering bodies like the Press Council of India, which is accountable to Parliament, would be preferable to expanding the powers of government-dominated entities like the Broadcast Advisory Council. The second draft of the bill, which included a controversial clause treating certain social media users as digital broadcasters, has reportedly been put on hold. The MIB has requested stakeholders return the watermarked copies of this draft and announced plans to release a fresh version following comprehensive consultations, with submissions accepted until October 15.
Industry bodies like the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) have already voiced their concerns, advocating for OTT platforms to remain outside the scope of the Broadcast Bill, given their distinct nature from traditional broadcasting services.
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