Information Society Watch
A Southern Lens on the Information SocietyRadio broadcasting uber wires
October, 2007, Vickram Crishna, I4donline
The rules governing radio broadcasting have undergone drastic change in recent years in India. Radio, which was sandwiched between print media and television, was under government control for a long time. In the last decade, the medium has been liberalised albeit with conditions which make it difficult to setup and operate community radio networks. The author traces the change in government policy with respect to radio and then focusses on the problems faced by people wanting to operate such networks including technological barriers. The article proposes an alternative to community wireless radio by espousing the radio over wire technology, which offers less total cost of ownership as well as being unfettered by government regulation.