New Delhi : In its endeavour to expand the reach of FM radio broadcasting in the country, the Information and Broadcasting ministry today invited bids for e-auctioning of the first batch of Phase III FM channels.
The Government has embarked upon Phase III to enable setting up of private FM radio channels in all the cities with a population of more than 1 lakh.
In addition, 11 other cities having a population less than 1 lakh in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the North East (NE) region are also proposed to be included in the expansion.
The first batch comprises of 135 channels in 69 existing cities of Phase-II. Simultaneous Multiple Round Ascending e-auction process will be carried out for allotting the FM channels.
“On behalf of the President of India, applications are invited from prospective bidders who meet the eligibility criteria to submit applications for participating in the auction,” a Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) issued by the ministry said.
It will allow the radio operators to carry news bulletins of All India Radio in an “unaltered form”.
“The permission holder will be permitted to carry the news bulletins of All India Radio in exactly same format (unaltered) on such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed with Prasar Bharati, no other news and current affairs programs are permitted under the Policy (Phase-III),” the ministry said.
Based on the applications, the government shall pre-qualify applicants who meet the eligibility criteria for participation in the auction, the NIA, which has been put up by the ministry on its website says.
“We will try to expedite the process after completing all the formalities transparently and objectively, as early and as possible,” I&B secretary Bimal Julka said when asked about the NIA.
In the NIA, the ministry has also given a tentative time line for the auction of the first batch of Phase III FM channels.
As per the tentative timeline, the last date for submission of applications is 23rd March.
A mock auction shall be conducted to familiarise the bidders with the auction rules and bidding process to be applied and followed during the e-auction.
As per the I&B ministry’s timeline, the mock auction will be conducted 4-5 days after the process of Pre-Qualification of Bidders is completed.
The process of Pre-Qualification of Bidders is expected to complete by 17th April or Completion of requisite formalities whichever is later, the ministry’s tentative timeline says.
The auctions are expected to begin one week after the process of pre-qualification of bidders is over. Sources said that it is likely that the auctions for the first batch will be held in April.
