OCTOBER 23, 2008 Ministry of Information and Communication has formed a task force headed by Dr. Dinesh Kumar Sharma, Chairman of Nepal Telecommunication Authority to furnish recommendations on FM radio frequency distribution and procedural reforms to be taken into account in future. It was also decided to restrict the operation of FM radios with the capacity of over 500 MW, and to stop increasing capacity of FM until the Taskforce submitted report, the Ministry said.
The Ministry move in this connection is quite objectionable as it restricts the access of those willing to run new FM radios, and promotes monopoly of a few people, who had already taken license for operation, in the name of regulating frequencies of free radios.
Freedom Forum asks the government to bring out a clear and concrete policy to monitor the frequencies in a way that would not restrict the license for FM.
The Forum also urges the Taskforce to submit the report at the earliest so that granting FM license would not be halted for a long time.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022