The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal to prepare a draft bill for the introduction of the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission for electronic media, based on the fundamental draft of the Cabinet sub-committee appointed to make recommendations.  

The government said the initial proposal by the Minister of Mass Media to prepare a Broadcasting Regulatory Commission for electronic media was taken up for discussion at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in 2022.

The Minister, via his resolution, had proposed to ensure a precise media practice to safeguard the maximum freedom of speech and expression. 

At the meeting, a Cabinet sub-committee headed by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms was appointed for the submission of recommendations on the policy matters that should be taken into account when drafting the proposed bill.

Thereafter, the said sub-committee prepared a fundamental draft with appropriate provisions that can be taken into consideration in the preparation of the draft bill of the proposed Broadcasting Regulatory Commission. 

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal of the Minister of Mass Media to direct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill based on the said fundamental draft of the Cabinet sub-committee. (NewsWire)

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The government is in the process of introducing new legislation to regulate electronic media in Sri Lanka, Cabinet spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardena said on Tuesday (May 30).

Minister Bandula Gunawardena told the media that a broadcast authority law is being formulated for this purpose.

He further stated that the draft prepared by a cabinet subcommittee under Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe will be made public soon.

Discussions have been held with various parties on the draft and the Justice Minister is expected to commence discussions with the public and private stakeholders in the coming weeks. 

The draft which is a legal framework that will be acceptable for all sectors will be given to all media institutions and broadcast media, he said. 

Minister Gunawardena added that the move comes as it has been observed that at present, Sri Lanka has issued frequencies without conforming to ‘international procedures’.

The State Television Act under which Sri Lanka television frequencies are issued has been repeatedly misused in the past, especially for election-related activities. 

Ruling party members have repeatedly called for the regulation of private media, while currently there are also growing calls to regulate social media as well. (NewsWire)

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