Government Likely to Review Draft Broadcasting Services Bill

The government is likely to reconsider the contentious provisions of the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill that had raised concerns among online content creators as it sought to club them with OTT or digital news broadcasters.

The Bill was released for consultations in November last year and a fresh draft was circulated among select stakeholders for their views.

An official said that the government may be open to reviewing certain clauses of the Bill as it had drawn sharp reactions from a section of media representatives.

Addressing a press conference here last week, representatives of DigiPub News India Foundation, an organisation representing more than 90 digital news publishers, and the Editors Guild of India said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting held closed-door consultations with selective stakeholders and larger discussions with digital media organisations and associations of civil society have so far not taken place.

They had written to the Ministry seeking copies of the draft Bill, but had not received any response.