The Congress on Friday alleged that the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill was a "direct threat" to freedom of speech and the independent media and claimed that the bill would lead to excessive online surveillance. The Media and Publicity department head of Congress, Pawan Khera, took to X, urging people to raise their voice against the bill that he dubbed as "government's tyranny."
People on social media have also been voicing their concern regarding certain provisions in the bill. Meanwhile, the government stated that the bill was still in the drafting stage and the stakeholders' consultation was also underway.
In a post on X, Khera alleged that the proposed law is a "direct threat to our freedom of speech and independent media" and wrote down various reasons as to why people must oppose it.
"Increased government control over content creators, from social media influencers to independent news outlets, threatens the independence of the press and restricts free speech," he said.
He also claimed that the bill "labelled anyone uploading videos, making podcasts or writing about current affairs as 'digital news broadcasters'".
"This can unnecessarily regulate individuals and small teams providing independent news coverage," the Congress leader said.
"Requiring online creators to establish content evaluation committees adds pre-publication censorship. This will delay timely news and create a chilling effect on free expression," Khera added.
He further went on to claime that the bill "imposes heavy regulatory burdens on small content creators, treating them like large media corporations," adding that "many independent journalists lack resources to comply, leading to potential shutdowns."
Khera said content creators who monetised their platforms would face the same stringent regulations as traditional broadcasters.
"This discourages new entrants and harms the economic viability of independent creators and this is exactly how the government finished the crypto market in India," he claimed.
The Congress leader also alleged that the process of drafting the bill "did not include civil society, journalists and key stakeholders, raising concerns about transparency and inclusivity."
Stressing that the bill will pave the way for excessive surveillance online, he said: "Monitoring negative influencers and criminal liability for non-compliance threatens dissenting voices and independent journalism."
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, wrote a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, which read: "The draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, seeking to replace the existing Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, and guidelines regulating the broadcasting sector was placed in public domain for comments of stakeholders, including domain experts and the general public, on 10.11.2023."
He also said that the consultation of the stakeholders is currently underway and that the bill is still at the drafting stage.