BTRC submits final draft of OTT platform regulation to HC
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) submitted the final draft of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Regulation for Digital, Social Media, and OTT Platforms 2021 to the High Court on Wednesday to supervise, and control the OTT contents and collect revenue.
BTRC lawyer Barrister Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib presented the draft regulation to the High Court bench comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil.
The court fixed 29 November for the judgement due to the time petition filed seeking permission to upgrade the draft.
The information ministry submitted the draft regulation in June. At the same time, it sought time for the upgradation of the draft.
In the draft OTT regulation submitted in June, there are provisions to prohibit the broadcasting of any news or talk show on online platforms.
If implemented, no mass media especially the online news portals and online versions of printed newspapers will be allowed to broadcast any news or talk show. This has created concern among media professionals.
The information ministry has not yet said the final word regarding the cancellation of the provision.
The information ministry and BTRC have submitted a separate draft of the OTT platform control regaulation as per the High Court's directives last year.
