TRAI chairman seeks comprehensive policy framework for broadcast sector

TRAI Chairman PD Vaghela has urged the government to provide a comprehensive regulatory and policy framework for the broadcast and broadband sectors, which are merging owing to technological disruption in the communications industry.

The TRAI Chairman further remarked that the technology-neutral framework should foster ease of doing business because broadcasting service providers must obtain approval from numerous ministries and agencies.

Vaghela spoke at a conclave, on Direct to Mobile and 5G Broadband - Convergence Roadmap for India, organized by IIT Kanpur, "A robust and holistic technology-neutral regulatory and policy framework is required to regulate the newly converged environment of broadcast and broadband services. The policy should also align the corresponding business processes with regard to the issuance of all broadcasting and cable service licences for better synergy and ease of doing business."

He stated that broadcasting service providers must obtain approval from government ministries such as the Department of Telecom (DoT), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Department of Space (DoS), and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). The TRAI governs the carriage sector of the broadcasting industry.