[cr-india] TRAI & MIB consultations

[Subramaniam Vincent]

Sajan, Fred, others: 
 
I want to understand the TRAI-Ministry of I&B process on CR in the light
of current events. 
 
- First there is the TRAI FM consultation paper - where they already
asked for input by May 7, including over CR-ish issues 
- Then there is TRAI's recent statement at the Delhi Open House that
they will prepare a separate CR consultation paper 
- There is the Ministry-UNDP workshop that happened last week in Delhi
on CR that seems to have discussed a whole gamut of things. I take it
there were policy inputs to the Ministry on CR from that workshop. 
 
Overall, these are tremendous developments, thanks in no small-part to
tireless campaigners (some are on this list), as well as progressive
officials within our system. This is sea-change from a few years ago,
when consultations weren't happening too easily. 
 
My reading of the two consultation processes is this :
 
-          TRAI is looking at this from a regulator's perspective
(licensing, revenue-sharing, rural fund, exemptions, rules etc), which
is one sphere requiring public input. 
-          The Ministry-UNDP workshop seems to have looked at CR a
larger and developmental light, and at the role/challenges for the
Ministry/Govt itself and the CR issues that emanate from there. 
 
Can someone correct me if I am wrong in this understanding, and throw
some light on where the current process is in terms of TRAI's role and
the Ministry's role? 
 
My fellow lead editor and I are writing an editorial on the TRAI
consultation for this fortnight's India Together edition, to follow up
on Sajan Venniyoor article that we carried a few days ago. (see:
http://indiatogether.org/media/). I will be happy to cite credits to any
addition info, if we use this for the editorial. 
 
Regards
-Subbu Vincent
 
 
 
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: cr-india-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:cr-india-bounces at sarai.net] On
Behalf Of sajan venniyoor
Sent: Monday, May 10, 2004 11:48 AM
To: cr-india at sarai.net
Subject: [cr-india] Community radio to hit airwaves soon
 
COMMUNITY RADIO TO HIT AIRWAVES SOON

PTI[ FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2004 08:23:29 PM ]

NEW DELHI: The government is likely to come out soon with a new policy
on community radio, enabling the communities to own and run radio
stations. 

This was indicated at a workshop jointly organised by Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting, United Nations' Development Programme and
UNESCO (on 5 & 6 May, 2004).

"What we have now is good but we need to proceed to a new model that
allows communities themselves to own and run their radio stations," U S
Bhatia, joint secretary, Broadcasting, was quoted as saying in a UNDP
release. 

The existing policy, which allows only established institutions to have
radio stations, would be revised holistically to ensure not merely
setting up of community radio stations but sustaining it also, the
release said. 

The two-day workshop on "Designing an enabling framework for community
radio in India" was attended by a wide spectrum of experts from India
and abroad. 


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