Broadcast commission to regulate online media

The government has given an initial approval to a separate media policy with a provision for online media to be regulated by a broadcast commission that will also govern television and radio stations.

The weekly cabinet meeting on Monday approved the draft of the National Online Mass Media Policy 2017.

The online media policy has been formulated in line with the existing media policy, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said at a news briefing at the Secretariat.

He said that online media has to be registered with the broadcast commission before launching operations.

The commission will be formed under the National Broadcast Act, which is being formulated, according to Alam.

The commission will prepare a 'guideline' for online media and the advertising rates will be fixed according to that.

Until the commission is formed, the information ministry will regulate the online media, he added.

Newspapers and TV channels, registered under the 1993 Press and Publications Act, will not require approval from the commission for their online outlets, but will have to notify the regulator before the launch of their services.

The registration of the online news outlets operating under the 1993 law will remain valid, Alam said.

Any individual or organisation uploading written or multimedia contents in Bangla, English or any other language via the internet from Bangladesh will be defined as an online media outlet, he added.

As many as 1,800 online news outlets have so far applied for registration, according to the cabinet secretary.