[cr-india] why distinguish CR from regular FM?

[Arun Mehta]

> From: Subramaniam Vincent <subbuvincent at yahoo.com>
 
> We cannot on the one hand argue for an interim policy 'that needs to 
> get
> 
> the bus going' and also say that that the policy must at once be broad 
> enough to deliver licenses to the weakest organized of groups that 
> are not already in associations of some sort. Plenty of rural India is 
> covered by SHGs, rural trade/farmers/water-users associations, NGOs, et 
> 
> al. Perhaps the policy should look to applicants from here first and 
> then look at other situations where no organizing exists at all. 

It is hard to get the government to reopen a policy debate. Now that we have the opportunity, we should ask for a sensible policy. Please remember, that by agreeing to a criterion for "allowing" an organisation to run a community radio station, we are giving the government an excuse to deny people such access. 

Sorry to sound like a stuck record, but could someone tell me why it should be any harder to get permission to start a radio station, than to start a newspaper, assuming, of course, that spectrum isn't a constraint?

Does Article 19 of the Constitution mean nothing to us? Are we not prepared to defend it? 

Arun