Parliamentary panel presses MIB to expedite Broadcast Bill rollout

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to set a deadline for completing the process and introducing the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill in Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

The committee made this recommendation in a draft action-taken report on its observations and recommendations from the 56th report on the regulation of cable television in India, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

The second draft of the Broadcast Bill, introduced in July, was withdrawn in August last year following backlash from media industry stakeholders over the lack of transparency in consultations, which were held with only a select group.

Another major concern of the industry was that the Bill contained vague terms that could potentially grant arbitrary powers to government officials.

In its response to the committee on 17 January, the MIB stated that a fresh draft of the Bill would be published after detailed consultations.

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The ministry further explained that once consultations with stakeholders are completed, it will prepare a draft Cabinet Note, which will be circulated for inter-ministerial consultation. Following this, the draft Bill will be submitted for the Cabinet’s consideration.

“This process is expected to take some time. The Committee will be duly informed about the progress of this process,” the MIB stated in its response to the committee, which had earlier recommended that the government expedite the formulation of the law while ensuring adequate consultations with stakeholders.

The draft Broadcast Bill 2023 was placed in the public domain on 10 November 2023, inviting views, comments, and suggestions from the general public and stakeholders until 9 December 2023. The deadline was