FM Radio phase III: Govt approves one-time relaxation for provisional empanelment

The Government of India has approved a one-time special relaxation for automatic provisional empanelment for the successful bidders of Batch-III e-auction under the FM Policy (Phase-III). The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is also considering extending the deadline for applications and giving more time for the e-auctions for the allotment of 730 channels across 234 uncovered cities under the third batch of FM Phase-III radio channels.

According to the government, this relaxation will be effective immediately from the date of operationalisation of their radio channels, providing provisional empanelment with the Central Bureau of Communications (CBC) for a period of six months, or until they become eligible for applying for empanelment with CBC under the existing 'Policy Guidelines for Empanelment of Private FM Radio Stations.'

During the provisional empanelment period, the base rate applicable to Private FM Radio stations for which no IRS (Indian Readership Survey) data is available will be applied.

This measure will provide immediate revenue benefits to radio operators in new cities, encouraging them to begin operations promptly. The step is expected to facilitate the faster rollout of Private FM Radio services in these cities, promoting better access to radio broadcasting services across the country.

This initiative is part of the Government's continuous efforts to improve the Ease of Doing Business in India and provide operational support to radio operators, thereby ensuring smoother business operations and a more conducive environment for growth in the broadcasting service.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is also considering extending the deadline for applications and giving more time for the e-auctions for the allotment of 730 channels across 234 uncovered cities under the third batch of FM Phase-III radio channels.

The Notice Inviting Applications released last month by the ministry fixed November 15 as the deadline for submissions.

However, many radio operators urged the government to extend the deadline to January 15, 2025, citing the time required for review and assessing the market of each town under auction.

Some operators also said that postponing the date of the actual auction to April would enable more budget allocation for auctions.