Information Society Watch

October 18, 2006, The Hoot

The Indian government has moved forward on a decision allowing NGOs to apply for licences without a fee and to have five minutes of advertising per hour of radio broadcasting. This has been made possible through constant lobbying for opening up community radio, thus eroding the opposition from ministries such as Home Affairs. In 2002, educational institutions were permitted to get licences, but not many took advantage of this opportunity. Therefore, a second phase was proposed to allow access to non-governmental organisations. In October 2005 a decision on the issue was postponed, however, the matter was referred to a group of ministers, who after a year's deliberations have put forth a proposal for clearance by the cabinet. If cleared, community radio can achieve the vibrancy it enjoys in many other countries.

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