Spectrum Fee for Community Radio Services to be waived

The wails raised by the community radio operators seem to have finally moved the Union Government.

The Ministry of Communications and  IT has decided to waive the spectrum fee for the Community Radio Services (CRS).

The decision follows the requests made by the National Advisory Council, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Community Radio Association (CRA) for the waiver of the  spectrum charges for the services.

According to a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau, Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal has asked the Ministry of Telecom (MoT) to evolve a detailed guideline by October 12 to ensure that the spectrum is optimally used and that the channels use the airwaves only to inform and empower the common man.

The Community Radio Association (CRA), an all-India association of functional community radio stations, had come up in protest against the unilateral decision of the MoT to introduce a five-fold hike in the spectrum fee for radio stations, including those which are commercially operated. In May, the MoT introduced a steep hike, from `19,700 to `91,000.

The hike in the spectrum fee had adversely hit the CRS operators who resorted to protests and later approached the Union Government.

“As the mission aims at social outreach within a radius of five to 15 kilometres, we do not have the  permission to broadcast commercial interest programmes and the time allotted for the  telecast of commercials is restricted to five minutes per hour,” CRA India vice-chairman Fr Thomas Joseph Therakam, who is also the director of ‘Radio Mattoli’, owned and operated by the Wayanad Social Service Society (WSSS) under the Diocese of Mananthavady.

The increased spectrum fee would have dissuaded the groups or organisations from establishing new community radio stations. 

“Wayanad MP M I Shanawas, was instrumental in putting pressure on the authorities for waiving off the charges,” acknowledged Fr Therakam. 

Out of more than 130 community radio stations in the country, five are in Kerala.

‘Radio Mattoli’ of the WSSS, ‘Radio Benziger’ of Bishop Benziger Hospital, Kollam,

‘Radio Media Village’ of St Joseph College of Communication, Changanassery, ‘Radio DC’ of DC School of Management and Technology and ‘Radio MACFAST’ of Mar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies, Tiruvalla, are the community radio stations functioning in the state.