The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) has requested a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT after being excluded from deliberations on a report on the regulation of cable television in India. The IBDF expressed concerns about the report s inaccuracies, misinterpretations of data, and omissions of crucial information.
Broadcast Bill: In its 56th report titled Regulation of Cable Television in India , the committee, headed by Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav, also asked the ministry to apprise it about the timeline when the ministry would introduce the draft Bill in Parliament. "The committee would further like to engage in constructive discussions regarding the proposed draft legislation at a more mature stage of its formulation," the report said.
The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation and News Broadcasters and Digital Association have raised concerns about the proposed Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2023, stating that it gives the government excessive powers to interfere with content creation and dissemination. The committee recommends granting distribution platform operators the authority to select individual channels from broadcasters bouquets to promote freedom of choice.