[Answered] Highlight the significance of policy guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of television channels from India.

While an uplink refers to the link from a ground station up to a satellite, a downlink is the link from a satellite down to one or more ground stations or receivers. Under these policy guidelines, the channels would have to mandatorily broadcast content on themes of national importance and socially relevant issues for at least 30 minutes every day.

Significance:

• Ease of compliance for the permission holder: Requirement for seeking permission for live telecast of events has been done away with; only prior registration of events to be telecast live would be necessary.
• Ease of Doing Business: as it provides specific timelines for grant for permission. A channel can be uplinked by using facilities of more than one teleport/ satellite (previously one teleport/satellite).
• Simplification and Rationalization: One composite set of Guidelines has replaced two separate Guidelines and the structure has been synthesized to avoid duplication. It also contains a penalty clause for different types of contraventions (uniform penalty at present).
• Making India a Teleport-hub: The move is expected to allow television channels of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal to uplink from India, instead of Singapore. This would create employment opportunities and make India a Teleport-hub for other countries.
• The amended Cable Television Network Rules bring in a strong institutional system for redressing grievances and make broadcasters and their self-regulating bodies accountable and responsible.

The new policy guidelines are a significant step and it needs to be celebrated in India’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal’.