Foreign Broadcasters Lobby Irks Jpc Members
Some members of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the broadcast bill have taken exception to international broadcasters, mainly from the US, forming an organisation to lobby with the government. The JPC has been entrusted with the task of fine-tuning the bill.
In its first meeting yesterday, the 30-member JPC, headed by Sharad Pawar, chalked out the agenda and other details regarding its working.Why should Americans form an organisation of international broadcasters to come up with an alternative broadcast bill? We know what is good for our country, BJP member of Parliament Nitish Bharadwaj, who is a member of the committee, told Business Standard after the meeting.
Bharadwaj was referring to a report in a business daily saying that an American Business Council sub-committee on broadcasting will come up with a base paper on the bill, which would be equivalent to an alternative bill.
The ABC sub-committee consists of GE International Operations (which owns CNBC and NBC), MGM Gold, Encore International Inc, MTV, ESPN India, Motion Picture Association of America, Innerasia Consulting Group, Space Systems/Loral, STAR TV, Turner International, The Discovery Channel, Sony Pictures, United International Holding and satellite operator PanamSat. Another JPC member said efforts were on to include BBC and Home TV in ABC. Doesnt that amount to putting pressure on the government and others? he asked. JPC has also resolved to put up notices on Doordarshan, asking different organisations in India to make representations before it so that information and data on broadcasting can be collated. To get an update on legislation in other parts of the world, the JPC members would soon be provided with broadcasting regulations in the US, UK, Japan, Germany and France. After the JPC is through with government agencies like the department of space, information & broadcasting ministry, it would meet a cross-section of citizens in various cities.
The panel will also be divided into various groups which will tour the country. However, most members of the committee do not think the recommendations can be prepared by the first week of the monsoon session of Parliament. Most probably an extension would be sought as the bill is a very sensitive issue, a member said.