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Journalism of Courage
More than a year after Iamp;B Ministrys proposal for the third phase expansion of FM Radio was cleared by the Cabinet,decks have been cleared for the e-auction of 839 FM stations across 294 towns this year.
The proposal was cleared in July 2011 but could not make headway after FM broadcasters demanded a re-look at city-wise minimum reserve price and sought inclusion of additional channels in cities. Another bone of contention was the quantum of migration fees for radio broadcasters who are keen to shift to FM-III. There were also issues over the prescribed auction methodology.
Iamp;B Secretary Uday Kumar Varma said the EGoM on spectrum,to which the matter was referred,has cleared the proposal for some changes in the Request for Proposal for auction of FM radio in phase III. The ministry will soon issue auction guidelines,he said.
