[cr-india] MoCIT sets terms for frequencies

[Arti Jaiman]

The CR movement in India is doomed if this is the case. Imagine a station like ours that has spent 5 years creating a media space for community radio in a media-rich environment like Gurgaon having to shut down because a private player has bid for a frequency and paid crores for it. 

All the more reason why MIB should stop this drama of doing awareness workshops across the country when not a single applicant is going to get a frequency to broadcast with. 

Arti
 
Arti Jaiman

Station Director : Gurgaon Ki Awaaz Samudayik Radio Station 107.8 MHz FM
email: arti at trfindia.org
website: www.trfindia.org 

Gurgaon Ki Awaaz is the first and only civil-society-led community radio station in the National Capital Region of Delhi. Since 2009, we have been broadcasting 22X7, in Hindi and Haryanvi, with a team of community reporters who generate community content with community participation. 



________________________________
 From: Ram Bhat <ram at maraa.in>
To: CR-India <cr-india at sarai.net> 
Sent: Friday, 7 February 2014 10:55 AM
Subject: [cr-india] MoCIT sets terms for frequencies
 


Dear All,
some of you may have received the CRFC newsletter,
there's an interesting piece on new terms for frequencies allocated to CR 
http://crfc.in/mocit-sets-terms-for-frequencies/

The part that especially interests me:

"Further, applicants will have to agree that the allotment of the spectrum would be withdrawn in the event the government deciding to allot spectrum through the auction process and that they would not be refunded the payment they make towards spectrum charges.
Lastly, the undertaking will require the applicants to agree that in the event of their losing the frequency, they would return the transmitting equipment or dispose it off, the procedure for which would be elaborated later."
there seems to be no protection even if a frequency is allotted. This is akin to the situation in Canada where frequencies of community radios maybe cancelled if a commercial station is given frequency in the same area, even at a later stage than CR allotment. Given the fallout after the 2G scam, I had expected that MoCIT will comment on pricing of frequencies in the new WOLs, but not revoking of already allocated spectrum. The fact that it has been slippped in to the new ToR of the WOL is a bad sign for the CR sector.

best,

---Ram
Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to www.crforum.in
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