WITHDRAWN BROADCAST BILL OPENS DOORS FORA MORE LIBERAL VERSION

THE information and broadcasting ministry has rightly withdrawn the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill sensing dissonance on it.

- 

The ministry has said on X that it is working on a new draft and has invited stakeholders to give their opinions by October 15. Perhaps the government is aware that with a reduced majority, it would not be smooth sailing for a contentious bill that is seen not to be in consonance with Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution that enshrines the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. Based on the feedback received, the definition of a 'digital news broadcaster' was seen to be too broad. The bill brought in its ambit all manners of content creators including digital influencers, and posts on the likes of LinkedIn, YouTube and X.