[cr-india] CRS lincencing Policy Nedds a Change

Fri Jul 6 22:24:49 PDT 2007

With all due respect for Mr Kumar's career, learning
and passion for radio, I tend to agree with Stalin's
point of view. I don't think that we need lose out on
Mr Kumar's expertise either, for the wonderful thing
about low power radio is that there will be virtually
unlimited opportunities for people like him to impart
what he has learned to hundreds and maybe thousands of
people.  

However, that will only happen when government decides
its hands are no longer needed on the reins, just as
it has for press and television. Encouraging by design
more government management of radio is not going to be
the way. 

Delicensing low power radio will open up huge
opportunities in the country, shackled as it is by the
current myopic and blinkered policy. 

This is how government people tend to think. Someone
attended a meeting between CR enthusiasts and the
government, where a WPC person, challenging requests
for waiver of the 20k annual spectrum fee, said an NGO
that doesn't have 20k shouldn't get into radio! I got
this tale offlist from another member. 

I have my own tale from a TRAI consultation I attended
in Delhi, which I have related here before, but take
the liberty of repeating for newcomers. The WPC
invitee there was nonplussed when I asked why we
mandated an 800 kHz clearance between adjoining
stations, when the world standard was 200 kHz (the
more stations you can jam together in one location,
the more opportunities for economical special interest
content). He pointed out that in some other countries,
400 kHz was allowed in order to bring in more
stations, and said point blank that 200 kHz was
impossible. I told him this was the US FCC standard
and he was welcome to check it out - that there were
upwards of 70 ordinary FM stations in cities like New
York. His answer? Obviously half of them are
transmitting underground, for the extensive Metro
(subway) system! And to this sort of expertise we
entrust our technical guidance - or should we say the
barriers to freedom? 

--- Arun Mehta <arun.mehta at gmail.com> wrote:

> How about a compromise.
> 
> Suppose we allow anyone to operate a 5W FM
> transmitter on a
> non-interference basis for a period of two years :-)
> If said person
> demonstrates ability to keep station running in a
> manner consistent
> with the spirit of the community radio policy, she
> becomes entitled to
> apply for a regular CR license...
> 
> Arun
> 
> On 7/7/07, Stalin K <stalink123 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Dear Avdesh Kumar,
> >
> > Let me respond to your third suggestion: Allowing
> individual officers who
> > have worked as Station Directors/Managers in
> AIR/Private FMs is NOT the
> > reason why we struggled so hard for a Community
> Radio Policy in this
> > country. The CRF is very clear that we need to
> strengthen the possibilities
> > of  'Community' (and not individuals, however
> experienced they are) stations
> > - ones that are owned, managed, produced by the
> community. Also, experience
> > in "following the program code of the AIR" is not
> a key, and will not be the
> > key, "elgibility" criteria that the CRF wishes to
> propagate. CRF will be
> > putting its strength to help groups with
> experience in working with the
> > community, experience of empowering them to
> articulate for themselves,
> > experience in trusting the communities abilities
> to be creative content
> > producers, experience in setting up and managing
> community media (as against
> > the tightly controlled state/market-owned media),
> experience and  belief in
> > the right of communities, specially the rights of
> the disadvantaged
> > communities, to own and run their own media set
> ups. Even if some of the
> > Station Directors/Managers of AIR/Private FMs have
> some or all of these
> > experience, CRF will NOT push their right to apply
> for CRS. They can surely
> > be associated with, volunteer with, work for such
> CRS. Please dont forget
> > the first word in CRS. A CRS is not merely
> envisioned as station 'for' the
> > community-where well meaning (and not so well
> meaning) individuals own and
> > operate a station for the benefit of the
> community. We see CRS as radio
> > stations 'for', 'by' and 'of' the community.
> >
> > I hope I have explained this clearly.
> >
> > In harmony,
> > Stalin K.
> > Convener, CRF-India
> >
> >
> > On 7/6/07, avdhesh sharma
> <akkhandal007 at yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> > >
> > > The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has
> laid down a condition for
> > > CRS that any NGO must have been functioning
> atleast for last three years at
> > > the time of applying for CRS. Perhaps MIB wants
> to assure that a NGO
> > > functioning for three year will have credibility
> and would be able to follow
> > > the PROGRAMM CODE OD AIR in letter and spirit.
> > > But this condition needs to be amended beacause
> there are numbers of new
> > > Organisations functioning  for Natural Disaster
> which is a new concept and
> > > depriving them to open a CRS would amount to 
> categorically denying the
> > > helping hands during the time of crisis or at
> the time the people need it
> > > most.
> > > Secondly, this condition of three years
> functioning of a NGO is
> > > consindered when the Government is advancing
> loan or grants but in the case
> > > of CRS no loan or grant is being advanced by the
> Government.
> > > Thirdly, all those officers who had worked as a
> Station Directors in AIR
> > > and Station Managers in Private channels should
> be given licence for CRS
> > > even if they are not a part of NGO because they
> have enough experience to
> > > run a station; to follow the Programme code of
> AIR and above all expertise
> > > in this field. Denying them a licence for CRS
> mean neglecting their
> > > experience and expertise.
> > > I earnestly request Mr. Stalin to consider these
> points to put before the
> > > Secretary,MIB,New Delhi when he meets him on
> behalf of Forum.
> > >
> > > Avdhesh Kumar Sharma
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Send free SMS to your Friends on Mobile from
> your Yahoo! Messenger.
> > > Download Now!
> http://messenger.yahoo.com/download.php
> > >
> > > YOU CAN SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM
> (India) BY JOINING AND TAKING AN
> > > ACTIVE PART IN ONE OF THESE NETWORKS
> > >
> > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-awareness 
> (Awareness building)
> > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-helpdesk
> (Offering help)
> > >
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-policy-advocacy
> (Policy advocacy)
> > >
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-techoptions
> (Technical options)
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > cr-india at sarai.net
> > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Stalin K.
> > Co-founder & Director
> > DRISHTI - Media, Arts & Human Rights
> > 103, Anand Hari Tower
> > Bodakdev, Ahmedabad 380054
> > TEL: +91-79-2685 1235 and 6661 4235
> > www.drishtimedia.org
> >
> >
> > YOU CAN SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM (India)
> BY JOINING AND TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN ONE OF THESE
> NETWORKS
> >
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-awareness 
> (Awareness building)
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-helpdesk
> (Offering help)
> >
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-policy-advocacy
> (Policy advocacy)
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-techoptions
> (Technical options)
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > cr-india mailing list
> > cr-india at sarai.net
> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india
> >
> >
> 
> YOU CAN SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM (India) BY
> JOINING AND TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN ONE OF THESE
> NETWORKS
> 
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-awareness 
> (Awareness building)
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-helpdesk
> (Offering help)
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-policy-advocacy
> (Policy advocacy)
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-techoptions
> (Technical options)
> 
> _______________________________________________
> cr-india mailing list
> cr-india at sarai.net
> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india
> 

Vickram

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