Waiver of licence fee on spectum for CRS a boost to the sector

NEW DELHI: The move to waive spectrum and royalty fee on community radio stations has come as a major relief for a sector that was just beginning to find its feet, with just 132 stations operational out of the 370 licenses issued by the Government.

It is learnt that the Department of Telecom has decided to waive the fee as it feels that the decision to hike the spectrum fees for community radios by fivefold and to keep on hold allocation of frequencies will have very serious damaging repercussions on the development agenda of the government and will stifle growth of community voices. It will also defeat the agenda of inclusive growth.

The move would help educational institutes, non-government organisations, small communities and a gram panchayats ? many of whom had received licences but had not been able to commence operations in view of the high fee.

The government had earlier this year said it was planning to raise the spectrum fee for these stations from Rs 19,000 to Rs 93,000. But community radio representatives met Telecom minister Kapil Sibal, and a recommendation from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry which has been pushing the CRS movement.

The WPC had for last nine months stopped giving clearance to 166 new applicants. A senior official said it was examining whether in wake of Supreme Court?s verdict on 2G, the spectrum fees for community radio was also needed to be auctioned.

The I&B Ministry feels that community radio has been instrumental in conveying the government?s developmental schemes to the last mile. Programmes on its flagship schemes have reached to millions of new listeners because they have now been articulated in local dialects.

Barsha Chabaria, Vice-President (North), Community Radio Association of India said the waiver would definitely be a relief. She also heads the Salaam Namaste Community Radio station, a unit of the Institute of Management Studies, Noida. But some operators feel the government should open avenues for advertisements and there should be government grants for community radios.