Question : TRAI GUIDELINES ON TELECASTING

(a) whether Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ruled that Central and State Governments or entities and companies owned by them should not be allowed to enter into the business of broadcasting/distribution of television channels ;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has set up an inter-ministerial committee along the lines of the telecom commission to examine the such recommendation of TRAI and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether various State Governments and Ministries have requested the Union Government for permitting the entry of State and Central Government in the broadcast sector; and

(e) if so, the steps taken by the union Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENT AFFAIRS (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) & (b): The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) made its recommendations on entry of Government entities into broadcasting and distribution activities on 28.12.2012. These recommendations are available on TRAI website at www.trai.gov.in.

(c): The Ministry vide its Office Memorandum dated 03.01.2013, has constituted an Inter- Ministerial Committee (IMC) under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to examine various recommendations of TRAI. The Committee comprises of representatives from various Ministries and Departments including Department of Telecommunication, Department of Information Technology, Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), Doordarshan and All India Radio.

(d) & (e): The Ministry had in the past received requests from the State Government of West Bengal and Punjab for entering into broadcasting activities. However, these requests were not agreed to. An application from Tamil Nadu ARASU TV Corporation Ltd. a Government of Tamil Nadu Public Sector Undertaking, for grant of Multi System Operator (MSO) license to operate the Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) in Tamil Nadu is under examination in the light of the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding entry of Government entities in the broadcasting and distribution activities.