Licence fee on TV sets: Euthanasia, or murder?
July 24, 2007, Deccan Herald
A recent proposal to charge a license fee on TV sets in order to build up a fund to support Doordarshan has been met with a huge amount of resistance. However, the critics have apparently failed to grasp the idea of a public sector broadcasting service(PBS) and the considerable benefits of such a PBS. Currently, the government has excessive control over the PBS primarily due to the fact that the funds for the PBS come from the government treasury. This has led to the misuse of PBS by successive governments in order to push their own agenda. A license fee generated fund will be a significant step forward in improving the autonomy of the PBS. In a developing country like India, market-driven television can cater to only a small minority of the population, and it is essential to have a public broadcaster which caters to the diverse masses of India, providing them with news and programmes that are relevant, without having to worry about advertising revenue. In this context, instead of opposing such a proposal, it should be welcomed as a positive step forward in providing our country with a high quality public broadcasting service.