Planning Commission wants Prasar Bharati to share infrastructure.

        The Planning Commission has recommended sharing public broadcaster Prasar Bharati's infrastructure with private players in the terrestrial mode of telecasting. The proposal, if implemented, will break Prasar Bharati's monopoly in rural areas, where masses have access to television mainly via Doordarshan (DD) on the terrestrial platform. Cable and satellite television penetration is quite low in rural areas

     Currently, private companies are not permitted to beam channels on the terrestrial mode, and therefore their route to television audiences is only through satellite.

     In the case of terrestrial broadcasting, a viewer needs to only buy a TV set and receive the signal through an antenna. There is no additional cost attached in the form of monthly payments. In the case of cable TV, one has to pay a monthly charge to the operator for receiving the channels. A direct-to-home (DTH) subscriber haIn a note to the I&B ministry, the Planning Commission has said, "Digitalisation has opened availability of additional channels in the market which has led to new business opportunities. The I&B ministry should explore the business model of sharing Prasar Bharati's infrastructure with private players in the terrestrial mode of telecasting.

        I&B minister Ambika Soni said, "We are studying the Planning Commission proposal." 
The proposal is subject to clearance by the Union Cabinet. Private broadcasters have been keen on terrestrial broadcasting for a long time and have made several representations to the I&B ministry.

      In 2005, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had also issued a consultation paper on permitting private channels to launch terrestrial broadcasting services. The Trai had sought to impose a licence fee that would grow with the revenues of the private broadcaster. The government was however cagey about permitting private players to broadcast on the terrestrial format.