Date:26/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/05/26/stories/2005052601741700.htm

Back Bill to regulate TV channels

Our Bureau

Visakhapatnam , May 25

A BILL will be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament to regulate TV channels and an autonomous agency will be constituted for the purpose, according to Mr S. Jaipal Reddy, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister.

He told presspersons here on Wednesday that the Government had been contemplating such a bill for quite some time and it would be introduced in the monsoon session.

"There have been persistent demands for regulation of the channels but I feel the Government should not directly do it. In fact, the interministerial committee has suspended the channel, Cine World, for a month and notices have been served on nine music channels and a news channel," Mr Reddy said.

In response to a question, he said there was no move to increase the FDI cap (26 per cent) in the print media. He said there was consensus among all political parties on the issue.