Govt to revisit broadcasting bill amid pushback

The Centre is set to revisit the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, according to information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who emphasized the government’s commitment to supporting India’s growing creator economy.
Vaishnaw assured that the government would adopt a “flexible and open-minded” approach during the legislative process.
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“We are very open-minded and very flexible. There should be a very extensive consultation. We should look at first, the purpose of the law and do we need a proper bill or regulation, so we are moving in that particular way,” the minister said at a briefing on Monday.
Highlighting the importance of the creator economy, Vaishnaw said, “The creative economy is a segment that is new and growing. Our intent is to encourage it, give it more opportunities to create new IP. We want this economy to flourish.” He also noted that the government recognized several social media content creators with awards in March this year.
This decision follows criticism of the draft bill, which had been circulated to select stakeholders. Social media content creators raised concerns over being held accountable for their content—a shift from the current IT Act, which places the responsibility on platforms. 
More here | New draft broadcasting bill raises accountability, censorship concerns
The unreleased draft had also proposed categorizing news influencers as digital news broadcasters, potentially harming the creator ecosystem, as reported by Mint last week.
In response to the backlash, the government withdrew the draft last week and announced that a new bill would be introduced after October. Public comments on the 2023 draft are being accepted until 15 October.
But officials aware of the development indicated that the government’s next steps will be dependent on the consultations with the industry stakeholders, and that it is open to drafting an entirely new bill if consultations demand it. They confirmed that the current versions of the bill issued in 2023 and 2024 are no longer valid.
The officials also said that the government is prepared to take the necessary time for thorough consultations, similar to the extended process seen with the new telecom law and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, which took several years to finalize.
As Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Vaishnaw also noted that rules for the DPDP Act would be released for public consultation within a month. The minister said that the government has focused on the digital implementation of the Act and framed rules accordingly.
“The entire digital by design framework of DPDP Act is now complete. Work flows are ready which includes how to file complaints, taking up appeals etc. The framework is ready and the draft rules are expected to be released within a month,” he explained.
He added that the Data Protection Board’s processes for handling appeals and implementation have also been prepared.
Also read | Mint Explainer: Concerns around Digital Personal Data Protection law
One key issue, age-gating, has been resolved, one of the officials cited earlier said. The official added that no specific timeframe has been set for public consultations, noting that many large stakeholders, such as social media platforms, are already complying with GDPR-like regulations in other markets.