Stakeholders in the OTT platform industry have urged the government to formulate social media- and OTT platform-friendly policies in order to boost the growth of the sector and help it benefit Bangladesh’s economy.
Many entrepreneurs are investing in this creative sector and new employment is being created, while social media and OTT platforms are also playing a role in spreading Bangladesh’s culture internationally. As a result, it is important that the regulatory policies of the government are supportive in the development of this sector, the speakers noted at a seminar on Saturday.
They also feared that complications would arise in the future due to different policies on the same issue by the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The seminar, titled “Regulation of Digital, Social Media & OTT Platforms: The Need to Strike the Right Balance,” was organized by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) at the FBCCI office. Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Mustafa Jabbar addressed the seminar as the chief guest, while Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mokbul Hossain was a special guest.
Chief Guest Mustafa Jabbar giving a speech at the event PIDFBCCI President Md Jasim Uddin said the development of a promising new industry should not be restricted by stringent policies.
FBCCI Director Syed Almas Kabir said the global market size of OTT platforms is $178 billion, and it is expected to reach $275 billion by 2027.
Barrister Rashna Imam shed light on the BTRC's regulation and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s guidelines in her keynote presentation.
She said: “Any regulatory framework that does not strike the right balance will either put the brakes on the digital economy in Bangladesh or threaten the safety and security of consumers and the society at large.”
Director General (Systems and Services) of BTRC Brigadier General Md Nasim Parvez said that the proposed policies have been prepared to ensure responsible business. For this purpose, the organization has drafted the policy based on the opinions of 61 organizations, including Facebook and TikTok. Policies of India and New Zealand have also been examined. The BTRC Director General also said that any digital media platforms can be registered by BTRC for free.
Jeff Payne, managing director of the Asia Internet Coalition, suggested that the economic impact of the new policy be tested during the post-Covid pandemic economic recovery period.
Syed Ashik Rahman, CEO of the private television channel RTV, said that those who are in the digital content industry in the Bangladesh market must set up offices in the country.
Navidul Huq, co-founder and director of BongoBD, said: “We need a regulatory body not to restrict the opportunities but to support the industry. To monitor one industry through two separate regulatory bodies from two different ministries can create problems for businesses.”
Reaz Ahmad, executive editor of Dhaka Tribune, said: “Having weak enforcement with harsh penalties will do no good, and punishments for violations should match the local socio economic context.”
He also thinks extensive and meaningful consultation with all stakeholders is required before redrafting the regulation and guideline, as it is important to understand the technical, operational and functional differences among the platforms.
Mentioning that Meta is pro-regulation, Meta Head of Public Policy (Bangladesh) Sabahnaz Rashid Diya said: “We want to create our platform as such where people can express their feelings freely while harmful content can be tackled.”
Chief guest Mustafa Jabbar said: “Considering the aptitude and diversity in digital media platforms, the two ministries have been involved in providing regulation and guidelines to tackle various challenges.”
He added that the draft of the policy was prepared after discussions with all the parties concerned, but the authorities were still open to changes based on the opinions of all stakeholders.
Special guest Mokbul Hossain said: “If the ministries can perform their tasks properly in their respective jurisdiction, then there should be no confusion over who is responsible for what.”
The government has so far published one draft regulation and one draft guideline for OTT platforms: BTRC’s ‘Regulation for Digital, Social Media and OTT platform 2021’ and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s ‘Content-based Over-The-Top(OTT) Service provision and Operation and Display of Advertisements Guidelines 2021’.
The Regulations for Digital, Social Media and OTT Platform 2021 are scheduled to be finalized by October 19.
The seminar was conducted by FBCCI Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Haque.
