FM Phase III: I&B ministry to extend application deadline, auction date

New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is considering extending the deadline for applications and giving more time for the e-auctions for the allotment of 730 channels across 234 uncovered cities under the third batch of FM Phase-III radio channels.

The Notice Inviting Applications released last month by the ministry fixed November 15 as the deadline for submissions. 

However, many radio operators urged the government to extend the deadline to January 15, 2025, citing the time required for review and assessing the market of each town under auction.

Some operators also said that postponing the date of the actual auction to April would enable more budget allocation for auctions.

Addressing the concerns raised by several radio broadcasters, the I&B ministry said that a decision is being made separately.

The radio operators also contended that it takes up to 1-2 years to get empanelled with DAVP due to the lengthy empanelment process.

“Since most of these cities are non-IRS cities, these stations will ultimately get the minimum rate as stipulated in the DAVP policy,” operators said.

The radio operators requested the I&B ministry to empanel the successful bidders from the date of operationalisation. 

In its reply, the ministry assured the radio operators that it would expedite the empanelment of permission holders in these cities.

On the concerns related to TRAI recommendations on issues related to FM radio broadcast, the Ministry also clarified that the government considered the TRAI recommendations and amended the FM Policy as deemed fit for the newly uncovered cities.

The ministry also said that point number 6.4 of the NIA stands deleted, which makes it mandatory for the radio operators to submit the details to BECIL for vetting the schematic drawing and specifications.