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Govt allows private television channels to uplink from India

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government today paved the way for Indian-owned satellite channels, with foreign equity of not more than 20 per cent, to uplink from the country's soil.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj told a gathering of private broadcasters in New Delhi that the uplinking will be routed through Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited and would be provided on a case-by-case basis subject to certain parameters and criteria.

The channels will be permitted to uplink to any communication satellite, but preference will be given to those uplinking on INSAT series. Uplinking to foreign satellites will be granted through the International Telecommunications Union.

She said the applicant must be an Indian satellite channel with resident Indian equity holding of not less than 80 per cent and effective management control being with the resident Indians.

She also made it clear that the applicant for a satellite channel should be presently uplinking from another country and obtaining foreign exchange release for this purpose. The channels would be required to abide by the programme and advertising code, as presently applicable to Doordarshan.

The uplinking facility, to be approved by the standing advisory committee on frequency assingment and the department of space as per their policy, will be for one year in the first instance. The applications will be vetted for security clearance by the ministry of home before it is finally approved, she said.

The question of permitting uplinking for satellite channel operators from the Indian soil has been under consideration for some time. In fact, there was a provision for making such uplinking mandatory in the proposed broadcast law which had been introduced in Parliament in 1997.

The bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 11th Lok Sabha.

In most countries, it is the downlinking activity which is first brought under regulations, whereas uplinking is more freely permitted.

At present, Indian satellite channel operators have to go abroad for uplinking, as this activity is not being permitted from the country.

However, permission for live uplinking for special occasions like the golden jubilee celebration of India's Independence and the funeral of Mother Teresa has been given in the past, the minister said.

There are practically no restrictions regarding dowlinking of signals from both Indian and foreign satellites, which can be freely received through dish antennae and cable networks.

Though it is not the intention of the government to impose any censorship, uplinking from Indian soil makes it possible to monitor the contents of the programme to safeguard vital national interests, a statement said.

When the operators uplink from overseas stations the expenses are incurred in foreign exchange. Permitting the uplinking facility from India can be expected to reduce or stop the outflow of foreign exchange, which is presently in the range of $ 200,000 per annum and expected to increase substantially in future with the expansion of the broadcast sector.

UNI