17 September 2004
Ashish Mukherjee
OneWorld South Asia, New Delhi
Free the airwaves for community radio: This is the message that Indias civil society organisations have sent to the countrys telecommunications regulatory body.
In a joint representation managed and coordinated by OneWorld South Asias ICT Advocacy team, 38 NGOs, universities and community media organisations have asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for a liberal licensing environment for community radio. The recommendations were sent on 15 September 2004.
TRAI had issued a consultation paper on 25 August 2004, asking the civil society for views on various aspects of community radio licensing. These issues were discussed threadbare at a civil society consultation organised by OneWorld South Asia (OWSA) on 9 September 2004.
To expand the range of debate, the views from this consultation were taken to OWSAs partner network and community radio enthusiasts around the country. The final set of recommendations had the endorsement of 38 community radio stakeholders when it was being sent to TRAI. But more and more support has been pouring in.
Some of the key recommendations are:
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Gram panchayats, local bodies and intermediaries such as civil society groups and village self-help groups should be given community radio licences.
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An independent licensing authority should evaluate and issue licenses.
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Such a body should have a fair representation from civil society organisations, media professionals, technical experts and grassroots people and must operate with complete transparency.
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Multiple clearances from ministries should be replaced by a single-window system.
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Technical parameters, such as the maximum transmitter power and antenna height, should be decided according to geographical boundaries and the terrain defining the community.
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The community radios should be allowed to broadcast commercials for sustainability.
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News and current affairs should be permitted to create awareness and greater interaction within the community.
While community radio enthusiasts in the civil society have long been lobbying, this is probably the first time that organisations have spoken in one voice. And the verdict is clear: that community radio is long overdue and its scope needs to be expanded beyond educational institutions and universities.
Dr Basheerhamad Shadrach, Director, OWSA, says the momentum can only pick up from here on. The government decided to open up the airwaves in 2000 to commercial FM and followed it up with licences to educational institutions. Now, the airwaves are bound to be made available to community radio as well, but the challenge is to build capacity among organisations to run these stations. OneWorld South Asia is committed to doing that, says Dr Shadrach.
OWSA began the deliberations within the civil society in June 2004 when its first community radio consultation was attended by NGOs, mediapersons and heads of reputed academic institutions. This was a follow-up to the TRAI Open House on FM Radio in May 2004, where OWSA and other civil society stakeholders put up a strong case for community radio.
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