I&B ministry to publish a fresh draft of the Broadcasting Services Bill

The news comes hours after the govt asked stakeholders to return copies of the bill that had received strong criticism.

Hours after the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) asked some stakeholders to return physical copies of the Broadcasting Services Bill on Monday (August 12, 2024), the ministry posted on X saying it is holding a series of consultations with the stakeholders on the draft bill and “a fresh draft will be published after detailed consultations.”

The post says the government will solicit comments or suggestions till October 15, 2024.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is working on a Draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill.
 
The draft Bill was placed in public domain on 10.11.2023 along with the explanatory notes for comments of the stakeholders and the general public. https://t.co/3A4brxbfLC…

— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) August 12, 2024

The bill aimed to replace the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, and classified influencers or social media pages that create content or report on current affairs and news online as 'digital news broadcaster'.

Also Read: Broadcast Bill 2024 draft sparks concern over secretive consultation

It received severe backlash from the digital media and content creator communities because they believed the bill jeopardises freedom of expression and the independence of media in the country.

Also Read: Digital news players raise concerns about the Draft Broadcast regulation bill

Mint quoted a senior government official: “The consultation is still on. There are certain misgivings which need to be addressed. (These misgivings) have been discussed in the public domain and on digital media. There are a lot of apprehensions on digital media. We may call for more stakeholders to discuss the matter in more detail.”

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