The ministry of information and broadcasting on Monday has withdrawn the latest draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024 by asking all stakeholders to return physical copies given to them between July 24 and 25, five people aware of the matter told HT asking not to be named.
The draft was circulated for feedback as part of an ongoing process of consultations that began on November, 2023 when the first draft was uploaded by the ministry.
An official, on the condition of anonymity, said that it is currently not yet clear whether it will be redrafted in its entirety or if only particular sections would be redrawn from the latest draft, which was not shared publicly but with some stakeholders, who received watermarked copies.
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The latest version of the bill, seen by HT, drew significant concerns over some of the provisions and how the consultation process was being carried out. In particular controversy were draft provisions that could potentially tag most online influencers as broadcasters if they dealt with matters of current affairs in their work.
The latest version of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, or BSRB, can classify all online content creators—a classification that covers independent journalists on YouTube and Instagram to “thought leaders” on LinkedIn to newsletter writers --- as either OTT broadcasters or as digital news broadcasters, as the case may be.
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{{/usCountry}}The latest version of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, or BSRB, can classify all online content creators—a classification that covers independent journalists on YouTube and Instagram to “thought leaders” on LinkedIn to newsletter writers --- as either OTT broadcasters or as digital news broadcasters, as the case may be.
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{{/usCountry}}Consequently, these broadcasters, if they were above a threshold defined by the government, would then have been required to set up Content Evaluation Committee (CEC) to pre-certify content, amongst other things.
The latest version, amongst other things, also sought to lay down due diligence guidelines for intermediaries with respect to programmes broadcast through them. The bill also sought to regulate advertising intermediaries.
The stakeholders were told that their comments are no longer required.