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Short History of Broadcast Receiver License in IndiaThe Broadcast Receiver License or BRL which included Radio Receiver License was first introduced in 1924 when the post offices in India collected the BRL fee following the notification by Hubert Arthur Sams, Officiating Director General of Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department (5/1924-11/1924).
The licenses were issued only for non-commercial usage of receiving radio sets.
Initially 1167 licenses were issued in 1924-25 and 812 in 1926#8210;27 which got drastically increased to 4866 in 1927#8210;28. By 1928, all Head POs and 100 selected Sub POs were authorized to collect BRL fee in India.
After the formal opening of the public radio broadcast in Mumbai by Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, Viceroy and Governor-General of India on July 23,1927 and in Kolkata by Stanley Jackson, Governor on August 26, the Radio License Fee was collected by the Post Office for Indian Broadcasting Company Limited which received 90% share of the fee collected in India (excluding Myanmar where the PO gave the fee share to Myanmar Radio Syndicate).
From 1934, Dealers' Possession Licenses were issued under Article 5 of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 (Act XVII of 1933) (passed on September 11,1933) thru POs and at first 707 DP Licenses were issued in 1934 35.
The fee was 10R per annum for both issuing and renewal of these licenses.
Post offices in India also did the agency work to issue Fixed Station Licenses, Import Licenses, Mobile Station Licenses and Substitute Licenses. [Ref. Ministry of Communication, Government of India File No. BRL.1-76/56 of 1956, p.12]
The Department of P&T retained 10% of the total license fee collected for BRL and Fixed Station Licenses.
The number of BRL issued in 1934#8210; 35 was 18000 which increased to 200000 in 1944#8210;45 and to 809537 (incl. both issued and renewed licenses) in 1953#8210;54 when the number of issued and renewed other licenses thru POs was 41267.
A graded system of surcharge was introduced in 1951 replacing the uniform rate of surcharge irrespective of the period of delay.
The surchage was fixed at 5R, 10R and 15R respectively for renewal of radio licenses after the grace period of 14 days from the expiry of license. The annual fee for renewal of Radio License was reduced from 15R to 10R in 1957#8210;58 only for domestic radio sets in rural area to encourage people to listen to radio, primarily for agricultural and meteorological news.
The Radio License fee was abolished in 1984.
Ref. 1. India Post through Ages A Saga of Communications.
H Nur Ahmad.
Postal History Society, India, Aluru 1996
Chapter IV: Functional Growth of India Post; Broadcast Receiver Liceses; pp.132-3
2. The Imperial Post Offices of British India 1774#8210;1914 (Vol.II).
Mohinilal Majumdar.
Philatelia, Kolkata 1999
Part II: The Imperial Telegraph Service
Chapter III: The Imperial Telegraph Department; p.72
3. The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 (Act XIII of 1885) with the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 (Act XVII of 1933) and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950 (Act LXXIV of 1950).
Universal Law Publishing Company Private Limited, Azadpur 2011
The Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933; p.23
Posted 02/28/2020 2:13 pm
