Broadcast Policy finalised

The government has finalised draft of the National Broadcast Policy 2014, designed to supervise and regulate the activities of television channels and radio stations.

File Photo

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Sunday said the draft would be placed before the Cabinet in 15 days for approval.

The policy provides for an independent broadcast commission authorised to recommend licences of private TV and radio stations.

Inu told bdnews24.com that the committee on National Broadcast Policy gave its final nod to the 13-page draft at a meeting.

Communication analysts have long been saying that the process the information ministry was following to license TV and radio station was faulty.

The draft policy, however, stipulates that the broadcasting stations that have ‘no objection’ from the ministry will be deemed to have been ‘licensed’.

The minister said the commission ‘will function independently’.

The policy provides for rules to be made by the commission to ensure objectivity of information and professional neutrality, professional ethics and responsibility in broadcast of sensitive information.

It says every broadcast vehicle has to formulate a ‘specific’ editorial policy in light of the Broadcast Policy.

The policy further says the commission will receive complaints from the people on the quality of programmes, information and advertisements and resolve them.

It says the commission will be a statutory agency and have a chairman and ‘required’ number of members.

“The chairman and members will be selected by a search committee, formed by the information ministry, and appointed by the President.”

The commission will formulate policies for broadcast organisations and their regulatory agencies.

The policy says if any programme, news or advertisement of any broadcast vehicle infringes rights of any citizen or organisation, the individual or organisation concerned or anyone aggrieved can lodge complaints with the commission.

Those who attended Sunday's meeting included Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Information Affairs Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and National Broadcast Policy Committee chief and Information Secretary Mortuza Ahmed.