Stories
CII Urges Real Speed and Proportional Penalties Under Draft Telecom Rules 2026
- •The Confederation of Indian Industry has released a white paper calling for real speed, proportional penalties, and statutory timelines under the Draft Telecom Rules 2026.
- •CII has recommended full tariff forbearance for television channels, including the elimination of price, discount, and packaging controls.
- •The industry body urged the restoration of television ratings and interoperable standards across television, connected TV, and digital media.
- •Proposals include reducing GST on television, OTT, and music subscriptions from 18 percent to 5 percent to boost sector growth.
- •CII also suggested replacing the 15-day registration requirement for live sports uplinking with a 24-hour intimation and removing per-day fees.
Key Questions Answered
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has called for full tariff forbearance for television channels, including the removal of price, discount, and packaging controls. Additionally, the industry body recommended abolishing carriage fees and making must-carry obligations unconditional when distributors request channel signals.
For live sports uplinking, CII proposed replacing the 15-day registration requirement with a 24-hour intimation, removing per-day uplinking fees, and waiving charges for late changes beyond broadcasters' control. To improve advertiser confidence, CII also urged the restoration of television ratings and interoperable standards across television, connected TV, and digital media.
CII recommended reducing GST on television, OTT, and music subscriptions from 18% to 5% and granting broadcasters annual independent audit rights over distributor subscriber returns. Furthermore, the organization proposed keeping content regulation with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting—separate from carriage regulation—while retaining a two-tier broadcaster and industry self-regulatory structure.
