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Govt plans to set up ICE Authority

The government is planning to set up an Information, Communication and Entertainment Authority, or ICE Authority, as a regulator with the existing Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or TRAI, which regulates the telecom sector.

This will be along with a Content Bureau, to be set up, to monitor the Net and broadcasting media.

A draft of the ICE Act, now being vetted by the Finance Ministry before being put up before the cabinet, says the ICE Authority will be a super regulator and it will incorporate TRAI. TRAI is to be renamed as the Carriage Bureau and a new model agency -- Content Bureau -- will be created.

The ICE Authority will be responsible for licensing, policy, promotion of competition, enforcement of all telecom, broadcast and new companies and international communication.

The draft Act recognises that it is necessary to structure the way Information, Communication and Entertainment Authority of India is organised to reflect changes in the regulatory landscape.

In addition, the Information, Communication and Entertainment Act,

2000, must streamline the licensing activities, accelerate the decision-making process, and allow the public faster and easier access to information through increased automation and efficiency.

The Information, Communication and Entertainment Act, 2000, must become a one-stop, digital shop where form-filing and documentation is easy and instantaneous.

The Authority will license companies for one or more areas. These will include Internet, broadcasting and telecom. It will also ensure the licensees do not engaged in the business of 'other services', without a change in licence.

The TRAI will function in accordance with the TRAI Act and its amendments, and these will be incorporated into the new ICE Act. But it will be subservient to the new authority and its chairmen and members will be redesignated carriage commissioners and deputy commissioners.

The Content Bureau will formulate a programme content regulation code and an advertising content regulation code and apply these on all broadcasters -- both private and government-owned. All broadcasters will be covered by these codes whether they are based in India or abroad as long as they beam their signals into Indian territory.

The authority will manage electromagnetic spectrum (the nation's airwaves) in the public interest. It will implement the government policy with regard to tariffs for the basic services in the broadcast sector. It will decide on the need and timing of introduction of new service provider.

It will also decide on revocation of licenses for non-compliance of terms and conditions of license. It will go in for technological improvements in the service provided by the service providers.

UNI

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