The decision is aimed at discouraging the increasing practice of holding radio frequency, thereby making genuine party unable to acquire FM broadcast license.
Officials at the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) said a total 388 parties across the country have acquired FM radio broadcast licenses. However, only 182 of them have come into operation so far.
A highly-placed source at MoIC said that the government is preparing to give three-month deadline to such individual(s)/companies already holding broadcast license to go on air. “The government will withdraw their licenses if they fail to operate even after the stipulated time,” the source added.
Minister for Information and Communications Shankar Pokharel shortly after assuming the portfolio on June 17 had formed a seven-member committee headed by the ministry´s joint secretary Mahendra Guragain to address the problem of FM frequency congestion among others.
Other members of the committee include Broadcasting Association of Nepal (BAN) President Bishnu Hari Dhakal, Community Radio Broadcasters´ Forum (CRBF) President Min Bahadur Shahi, independent expert Gopal Guragain, communication law expert Satish Krishna Kharel, the chief of Frequency Management Section at MoIC, Anup Nepal and the chief of Legal Section at the MoIC, Rajendra Nepal.
The committee is set to recommend withdrawal of licenses as the practice of holding broadcast licenses for years has deprived genuine license-seekers of the opportunity to get the license.
FM license is distributed in the frequency between 88 MHz to 108 MHz. While the distribution of the frequency in Kathmandu has already reached to its saturation point, other small towns like Birgunj, Biratnagar and Janakpur too are on the verge of touching the saturation point.
The then Maoist government on January 28 had decided to stall the process of frequency distribution in the wake of saturation situation.
“We are preparing to recommend to the government to withdraw the broadcast licenses as FM frequency is something different than the print media,” a member of the committee told myrepublica.com on condition of anonymity. “The FM frequencies are very limited unlike the permissions given for running newspapers,” the source added.
As per the Interim Constitution, registration of newspaper, radio and television licenses cannot be canceled. Likewise, the government cannot close or seize printing press, radio, and television stations.
FM Radio operators too are positive about the proposed government move.
Gham Raj Luitel, former general secretary of Kathmandu Valley FM Broadcasters Forum (KVBF), lauded the government move saying that it is good to allow an individual or a company to allow holding license for year without bringing them into operation. “They should be allowed genuine time to run the FM radio,” he said. “Else, they should be withdrawn.”
In many countries, FM broadcast licenses are issued for a certain period like 10 years, 20 years etc. The committee is also set to recommend this provision to the government.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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