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The Government will encourage as many players in the Direct-to-Home (DTH) service as possible since India provides huge potential in terms of area as well as diversity for such services. This was stated by the Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Culture, Shri S. Jaipal Reddy at the Conference on ‘Broadband – Making Convergence Happen’ here today. The Minister said that the two serious applications are at an advanced stage of process and will be considered positively provided they are in conformity with the laid down rules and requirements. He said that the DD’s DTH service provides the only free-to-air platform in the whole world.
Shri Reddy said that a policy package for the expansion of FM radio has been finalized and would be taken to the Cabinet shortly. The package is based broadly on the recommendations of the Amit Mitra Committee, he added. The Minister expressed the hope that FM radio in the private sector would grow immensely as India provided scope for over 400 such stations.
The Minister said that the Government has an open mind for welcoming technology in all sectors. The Government would encourage the entry of the private sector into the broadband technology, he added. Reiterating the Government’s resolve to check obscenity in the electronic media, Shri Reddy said that the proposed regulatory authority for the purpose would be truly autonomous and the Ministry would have a very limited role in its functioning. He further said that the issue was still under consideration as to whether there should be a single regulatory body or two different regulators-one for content and the other for carriage.
RS/AS
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