The committee made this recommendation in its action taken report on its observations and recommendations from the 56th report on the Regulation of Cable Television in India.
The second draft of the Broadcast Bill, introduced in July, was withdrawn in August last year following backlash from media industry stakeholders over the lack of transparency in consultations, which were held with only a select group.
Another major concern was that the bill contained vague terms that could potentially grant arbitrary powers to government officials.
In its response to the committee, the MIB stated that a fresh draft of the bill would be published after detailed consultations.
The ministry explained that once consultations with stakeholders are completed, it will prepare a draft Cabinet Note, which will be circulated for inter-ministerial consultation. Following this, the draft bill will be submitted for the Cabinet’s consideration.”This process is expected to take some time. The committee will be duly informed about the progress of this process,” the MIB stated in its response to the committee, which had earlier recommended that the government expedite the formulation of the law while ensuring adequate consultations with stakeholders.The draft Broadcast Bill 2023 was placed in public domain on November 10, 2023, inviting views, comments and suggestions from the general public and stakeholders until December 9, 2023. The deadline was later extended to January 15, 2024.
