Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday said that free to air (FTA) television channels were not mandated under law to be mandatorily encrypted while being uplinked to a satellite.

“Free-to-Air channels are not mandatorily required to be encrypted,” Thakur admitted to a Lok Sabha (Lower House) question on whether the government proposes to make encryption of channels mandatory for all bands other than C-band spectrum and whether it was also considering amending the uplinking and downlinking rules.

To another part of the same question, asked by several fellow parliamentarians, whether it was true that some channels were being beamed on DD FreeDish without licences causing a huge loss to the pubcaster, Thakur said, “It has been reported that signals of certain free-to-air channels, though not on DD Free Dish platform, are also being received due to co-location of signals (of satellites) of these channels and DD FreeDish  and non-mandatory requirement for encryption of signals of free-to-air channels.”

The Minister, however, did not elaborate whether regulatory changes were being proposed to overcome the issue of unencrypted TV channels, not officially on FreeDish platform but still managing to be available to FreeDish consumers because of co-location of satellites.

Technologically Obsolete Terrestrial Transmitters Being Rationalised: To another question on alleged shuttering of small transmission centres of Prasar Bharati (DD and All India Radio’s parent), Thakur clarified the pubcaster was not closing any radio stations in India.

However, he added: “Obsolete analog transmitters are phased out from time to time with the availability of alternate transmission technologies such as FM, Satellite Radio through DTH and Internet Streaming.”

Accordingly, Prasar Bharati has decided to phase out the obsolete analog terrestrial transmitters (ATTs), barring 55 ATTs in strategic locations and 23 digital terrestrial TV transmitters, which are all high power transmitters.

In view of emerging trends in broadcasting, and availability of DD FreeDish, a free-to-air Direct to Home service of Prasar Bharati in the country carrying more than 150 TV channels, including 51 educational channels, free of cost without any monthly subscription, Doordarshan ATTs “carrying only one channel have lost their relevance”, the Minister said in his reply.

The signals of  FreeDish can be received in the country with the help of small sized low cost dish and receiving units.

“The rationalisation of obsolete terrestrial transmitters has no bearing on content generation by the AIR and DD Kendras (centres) across the country,” Thakur stressed.

Thakur was responding to a query whether terrestrial transmission of Doordarshan and small radio centres had been shut down by the Prasar Bharati over a period of time and the reason behind such a move.