Consultation paper on national broadcast policy soon: Trai chairman

livemint.com:

MUMBAI : India’s telecom regulator will shortly take its next steps towards updating the national broadcast policy, with a focus on making India a global hub for content creation. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is set to issue a detailed consultation paper seeking feedback from various stakeholders on the draft policy, chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said on Wednesday. Trai has completed a pre-consultation process to identify the focus areas for the policy, Lahoti told a gathering at Ficci Frames, an annual media and entertainment industry convention.

“We will be listening from all the stakeholders, including the consumers and the industry, on these various issues, and then give our suggestions to the government," Lahoti said. Trai will be seeking industry feedback on making India a global hub for content creation and content uplinking, promoting local content in India and abroad, strengthening the public service broadcast, and making the regulatory and policy environment more business-friendly, among other aspects. Other key focus areas of the new broadcast policy include combating piracy and copyright protection, review of the audience measurement system, and implementing an effective grievance redressal system.

The regulator had first invited industry stakeholders for a pre-consultation on the broadcast policy in September. “We have been asked by the government for our input on the policy. We will get the comments and counter comments, and conduct open house discussions, where everyone can provide their views.