The government on Monday said it will hold further consultations for preparing a fresh draft of the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, which had raised concerns among online content creators.

The Bill, released for consultations in November last year, sought to club online content creators with OTT or digital news broadcasters. This move sparked criticism from the industry, with many arguing it would stifle online creativity and freedom of expression.

“Ministry is holding a series of consultations with the stakeholders on the draft bill. Further additional time is being provided to solicit comments/ suggestions till 15th October 2024,” the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a post on X.

“A fresh draft will be published after detailed consultations,” the ministry said. The ministry said it was working on a draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill.

“The draft Bill was placed in public domain on 10.11.2023 along with the explanatory notes for comments of the stakeholders and the general public,” the ministry said.

It said in response, multiple recommendations, comments and suggestions were received including from various Associations.

The draft Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, circulated among select stakeholders, has drawn criticism from media bodies.

DigiPub and the Editors Guild of India have accused the government of excluding digital media organisations and civil society associations from consultations on the move.

A version of the draft bill proposes to club online content creators with OTT and digital news broadcasters, bringing them under the ambit of the ministry's Content and Advertisement Code.

The provisions would have made it mandatory for individual online content creators to appoint a grievance redressal officer and a content evaluation committee once they crossed a certain number of subscribers.