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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Community Radio License to be issued within two
months<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">In
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Bangladesh</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Issuing
license to set up 116 community radios in
<st1:country-region><st1:place>Bangladesh</st1:place></st1:country-region> is
under consideration of the Government. These community radio stations will start
operation within two months, the concerned authority expected. Primarily 116
organizations have been identified as eligible for license of community radio in
a meeting of the National Regulatory Committee held in the Ministry of
Information on <st1:date Month="7" Day="15" Year="2008">Tuesday 15 July,
2008</st1:date>. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Sources
said, the technical sub-committee formed in accordance with the community radio
policy 2008, sent a list of 124 Government and non-government organizations
after sorting out of 180 applications to the National Regulatory Committee
headed by Information Secretary. This committee selected 116 organizations
eligible for license and withheld 12 organizations in its meeting on Tuesday.
Notably, 400 organizations drew application forms from the Ministry but only 180
submitted their applications for license. Having insufficient documents, papers
and qualifications for the license, applications of those organizations have
been ineligible of the consideration for license.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The sources
said, the selected list has been sent to the office of the Chief Advisor for the
policy approval. After this approval, the list of the selected organizations
will be sent to the Home Ministry for non-objection-certificate. Then
Information Ministry will start issuing license after allocating frequency for
the community radio stations by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission (BTRC). Central Monitoring Committee headed by Director General of
Bangladesh Betar will monitor the community radio activities. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Primarily it
is impossible to allocate frequency for more than 5 community radio stations in
the coastal districts and more than 3 in other districts. Moreover, it will take
only two months to allocate frequency after completing all process; it was said
in the meeting. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Information
Secretary Mr. Jamil Osman told that, we will try our best to issue license
by completing the necessary process as early as possible. Initiatives will also
be taken to create awareness among the mass people of this new mass media in the
country. </P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Bazlu</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>_______________________<BR>AHM. Bazlur
Rahman-S21BR<BR>Chief Executive Officer<BR>Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and
Communication(BNNRC)<BR>&<BR>Member, Strategy Council<BR>UN-Global Alliance
for ICT and Development (UN GAID)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207
<BR>Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Phone: 88-02-9130750,
88-02-9138501<BR>01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>E-mail: <A
href="mailto:ceo@bnnrc.net">ceo@bnnrc.net</A>, <A
href="mailto:bnnrc@bd.drik.net">bnnrc@bd.drik.net</A><BR><A
href="http://www.bnnrc.net">www.bnnrc.net</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>