The Hindu : New Delhi News : Ministry to review DTH policy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 18, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Ministry to review DTH policy

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 17 . Taking serious note of the petition filed in the Delhi High Court by the Centre for Media Studies against Direct-to-Home television, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has decided to go in for a review of the policy which is four years old and has spawned only one DTH platform as of now. As part of this exercise, a committee is being set up under the chairmanship of the I&B Secretary, Navin B. Chawla, to look into the guidelines issued on March 15, 2001.

The petitioner had asked the Court to direct the Government to set up an expert committee to review the DTH policy. Also, it had sought the Court's intervention in ensuring that fresh licences/clearances are not issued till the expert committee submitted its recommendations.

Among the issues that will be reviewed is the security risk involved in DTH television and the possibility of unregulated beaming of pornographic material into homes across the country. "Security agencies do not have the technology to intercept text messages that a DTH provider can aim at individual subscribers. Once Pakistan has DTH platforms, terrorists can use this loophole and receive instructions and alerts over SMS," the petition pointed out.

The Cabinet cleared DTH services in India in November 2000 after it was banned by the Communications Ministry in July 1997.

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