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I&B ministry not in favour of content regulation by CCI

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is not in favour of content regulation of the electronic media falling under the purview of the Communications Commission of India proposed in the draft Convergence Bill.

A meeting of the consultative committee of the ministry held this week saw members suggesting that CCI should be entrusted with the task of carriage regulation alone and not content as it would comprise mainly of technical persons.

Information and Broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj said the ministry will formally write to the Group on Telecom-IT its views in this regard and emphasised that content regulation required experts from the field of arts and literature.

Asked whether the ministry had envisaged a separate body for content regulation, Swaraj said it could either be entrusted to the proposed Media Council which will oversee both the print and electronic media replacing the Press Council or a Broadcasting Council for the electronic media could be set up.

She said though there was "total unanimity" on the desirability for a body to oversee the electronic media, members of the consultative committee were yet to arrive at a consensus on the format of the proposed body.

The minister said the members wanted the ministry to put up a specific draft for consideration of the Committee.

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