Trai recommends IB ministry grant infra status to telcos and broadcasters.

On Wednesday, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommended that the government grant infrastructure status to the broadcasting and cable service sector. Trai made the recommendation in its report on ‘ease of doing business’ in the telecom and broadcasting sector. The regulator stressed the importance of the cable services sector in expanding television and broadband services and suggested that granting infrastructure status to the broadcasting and cable services sector could facilitate growth. The report also recommended that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) provide stage-wise timelines for granting licenses, registration, and permissions and establish a Centre of Excellence to study the technical, economic, social, and legal aspects of broadcasting services. Trai also suggested that MIB should ensure a smooth process of security clearances for applicant companies and may consider mandating a standard undertaking for compliance. The report recommended that the online portal provide a payment option to facilitate the payment of annual permission fees by telecom operators and broadcasters.