The government yesterday published the draft broadcast rules that are to be subsumed into the new Telecommunication Act and threw them open for public consultation.

Inputs, comments, or suggestions, if any, are to be sent to the designated officials at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) by October 2, 2026, the notification said.

The Telecommunications Act, the government notification said, is a comprehensive piece of legislation that encompasses a wide range of services. Its implementation is carried out by different departments, depending on the nature of the service covered.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting administers the provisions relating to television, radio, and associated services.

The draft Telecommunications (Television, Radio and Associated Services) Rules, 2026 have been framed to consolidate the various guidelines issued for television and radio services under the erstwhile Telegraph Act, 1885 within the framework of the newly enacted Telecommunications Act, 2023.

Following cable and broadcast guidelines are integrated into this set of rules:

a) Policy Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Satellite Television Channels in India, dated 9th
November, 2022;

b) Guidelines for obtaining a license to provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) Broadcasting Services in India, dated 15th March, 2001, as amended from time to time;

c) Guidelines for providing Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS) Broadcasting Services in India, dated 26th November,
2009;

d) Policy Guidelines on Expansion of FM Radio Broadcasting Services through Private Agencies (Phase III),
dated 25th July 2011, as amended up to 10th September, 2024;

e) Revised Policy Guidelines for setting up Community Radio Stations in India, dated 13th February 2024; and

f) Guidelines for provisioning of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Services, dated 8th September 2008.

With this set of rules, government asserted that the industry will now have a unified and significantly simplified rule book. These rulesare designed to simplify and harmonize the existing regime while promoting ease of doing business in the television and radio broadcasting sector.

The Draft Rules were published on the website of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 12.06.2026 for public consultation. The suggestions and inputs received from stakeholders have been examined and suitably incorporated, wherever considered appropriate, the government said.

Details about the latest government notification could be accessed at: http://www.mib.gov.in/sites/default/files/2026-09/g.s.r-773-e-the-draft-telecommunications-television-radio-and-associated-services-rules-2026.pdf.