TRAI notified Standards of Quality of Service Amendment Regulations:2013

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 22 March 2013 notified the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Amendment Regulations:2013. The amendment regulation was notified for ensuring quality of service and protection of consumers’ interests.

The regulation makes it mandatory for the broadcasters to restrict duration of advertisement in channels for to a maximum limit of 12 minutes in one hour as already prescribed in the rules in existence. For fine monitoring of the compliance of the regulations by broadcasters, the regulatory authority had made it compulsory for the broadcasters to report the duration of advertisements carried on their channels on quarterly basis to them.

TRAI reached to the decision of notifying the standards of quality service after studying the issue of duration of advertisements that was carried on the TV channels that was obtained by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from the broadcasters. The data obtained established a clear breach of the rule and regulations in existence by most of the TV Channels.