A Huge Setback for Community Radio

Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has quadrupled the royalty and
licence charges for community radio stations. In new regulations of the Wireless Planning
and Coordination (WPC) the operator has to pay Rs. 91,000 yearly instead of Rs 19700 for
broadcasting in the range of five to ten kilometres. In India there are 132 licensed community
radio stations which raise those issues which are under looked by the main stream media.
People who are operating community radio stations in India are either social worker or
NGOs. They are bounded by many broadcasting rules and regulations and have minimal
opportunity to raise fund to meet daily operational cost. Paying Rs 91,000 per annum as
royalty will be as bad as gagging the rural media. The rich and glamorised mainstream
media don’t have the space for rural and local issue. The community radio stations which are
covering news from grassroots will financially starve and eventually die because of this hike.

In 1990’s popular legal tussle between “Ministry of information and broadcasting” and
“Cricket association of Bengal” Supreme court said freedom of speech and expression also
include right to acquire and disseminate information and the airwaves are public property
which can be used be used for the benefit of society. This was a landmark decision which
have excited and encouraged those radio lovers and activist who wanted contribute in
development of society. In 2006, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of
communication worked in tandem to address the fundamental rights speech and expression
of communities making base article 19(1)(a) of the constitution. Community radios have
been successful in rural and remote areas for educating and awaking people at mass level
in a limited range. The success of such stations lies in the fact that it does not require
professionals whose motive is to run a station to earn profit. Radio enthusiast gets platform
to address people of their locality in the local language with via such non profitable radio
stations. The results which AIR and Doordarshan produced in the era of green revolution
and in later decades, is similar but of lesser impact as achieved by community radio stations.
But the hiked licence charges by government have literally discouraged and indirectly
barred community radio operators. Community Radio Forum (CRF) of India wrote to the
I&B minister Kapil Sibbal to reconsider his decision. Just hiked licence charges is not the
issue which should be addressed by the I&B but the whole set of new regulation which also
insist to give a bank guarantee of Rs 25000 while seeking a new licence. With the financial
hurdles, a new licence seeker should also have to get clearance from Standing Committee of
Frequency Allocation (SACFA), Wireless Operating Licence (WOL) and so on.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in a position paper has once
recommended zero spectrum fees for community radio stations. However, instead of
supporting those who want to work for community development via mass media platform
government have made the road narrower then ever. Government should utilise community
radio stations as resource for development not for earning few pennies. Schemes like
ADHAR, MNREGA can be implemented more advantageously with proper communication
channels like community radio stations which are totally non-commercial. Government
can bank on the community radio stations for rural and community development instead of
bankrupting them.

(Published In IAAN Express)