What cable operators broadcast

26 June 2009

With an estimated 30,000 cable subscribers and 52 cable operators in 2008, there is a growing public concern over the contents broadcast by cable operators in their local channels. There seems to be a lack of stringent regulation for content broadcast by the local channels, which is evident in the quality of their broadcast.

According to Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA), the local cable operators are allowed to broadcast only those channels approved by the government as well as an additional local channel whose content is regulated through a broad guideline. The local channels are allowed to broadcast school concerts, Bhutanese music videos, small classified advertisements and local functions like tshechu.

That, however, doesn’t seem to be the reality. In Phuntsholing, cable operators air Nepali music videos most of the time while in Thimphu home videos featuring boys dancing bare chest can be seen.

There are similar incidences in other parts of the country. In Mongar, the cable operator has reportedly aired a home video of his daughter’s birthday party.

BICMA spokesperson, Jigme Wangdi, said the authority was seriously looking into the matter. “There is a growing concern about local channel contents but BICMA cannot take any action until we have hard evidence in the form of a written complaint,” he said.

Cable operators have no broadcast licence so, in principle, they are not allowed to broadcast questionable contents. A broadcast licence is a specific type of spectrum licence that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purpose.

However, they are allowed to have a local channel within their jurisdiction. This had been done in the past so that remote parts of Bhutan where BBS couldn’t reach had at least one channel with local content. Even after BBS went nationwide, the trend continued.

The BICMA spokesperson said that, if there was a private television broadcaster, that will end the trend. “If the matter gets out of hand, we will stop the trend completely,” he said.

Previously, advertisements were not allowed on the cable operators’ channels. After a request from the Motion Picture Association of Bhutan, advertisements for movie promotion were approved along with small classified ads.

However, BICMA said calling and requesting a dance number from a school concert, as was practised by Norling cable, was not allowed. “We stopped that programme a month ago, not because BICMA told us to do so, but because our customers complained about it,” said the proprietor, Yangchen Lhamo.

BICMA said it was not aware of it. “We will penalise any cable operator seen breaking the guidelines,” the spokesperson said.

“We were briefed to broadcast tshechus, school concerts and local events but we never received clear guidelines or orders from BICMA regarding the content,” said Tenzin, the proprietor of K.R. cable of Mongar. Many other cable operators Observer spoke to expressed the same view.

“I think school concerts should not be broadcast because they are of mediocre quality and are not shot by professionals,” said Nidup Dorji, a civil servant.

“The local channels need to improve a lot. The cable operators don’t have the technical capacity or human resource to make the local channel interesting and educative,” said Lobzang Dorji, a private sector employee. “The government needs to do something about content regulation,” he added.

In order to keep the government regulation at a minimum, the broadcasting industry in the US undertakes self-regulation measures such as voluntary programming ratings, voluntary screening of violent, indecent, or inappropriate programme content and refusal to accept advertising selling items like cigarettes and hard liquor. These self-regulation measures have served to restrain the government from regulating what the industry broadcast.

By Metho Dema

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