Industry should be consulted on Broadcast Bill: FICCI

New Delhi, July 18 (UNI) Business Chamber FICCI today called upon the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to consult with the industry, on the proposed Broadcast bill, in order to understand implications of it's various provisions and its impact on the Media&Entertainment Industry.

''We propose that just in the manner that the I&B Ministry engaged in a productive dialogue with the industry on Content Code Creation, a similar process must start on the Broadcast Bill, which has much larger implications on the growth and health of Media&Entertainment industry,'' a FICCI statement said.

Much of the Industry apprehensions could be the result of the lack of proper information and understanding of the objective of the government.

The draft bill, we believe, calls for the setting up of a separate Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) and covers four major areas in its ambit including content, cross media ownership, subscriptions and live sports feeds, the statement added.

''We believe that this would call for a major corporate restructuring by media companies, foreign and domestic, operating in India, with serious financial implications to them,'' said FICCI.

UNI ARB RA HT2004