The Hindu : Cable operators to discuss TRAI recommendation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Cable operators to discuss TRAI recommendation

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, FEB. 23. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) recommendation to suspend the conditional access system for three months has evoked mixed reactions.

As news slowly filtered through late in the evening, cable operators and MultiSystem Operators (MSO) struggled to understand the TRAI recommendation and its import for cable TV viewers in Chennai. Apparently, the recommendation has been made to suspend CAS while the Authority comes up with a comprehensive regulatory plan. This follows letters to TRAI from various State governments, including Tamil Nadu, calling for greater regulation of the system. In a recent communication to the Centre, Tamil Nadu appealed for a `fair deal' to consumers and also called for removal of the `bouquet' system, bringing in open market set-top boxes (STBs) and granting powers for the State to regulate and monitor the implementation of CAS.

Some of the issues the order has raised are: Charges to be levied henceforth for viewing pay and free-to-air channels, the fate of STBs and `bouquets' or bunching of pay channels. An MSO representative said a decision on pricing would be arrived at only after a joint meeting, along with cable TV operators and consumer groups. A meeting has been called here for tomorrow and cable TV operators, MSOs and members of consumer forums are expected to participate.

Meanwhile, the recommendation has specified that the "charges payable to cable operators, cable operators to MSO/broadcasters and MSOs to broadcasters prevalent as on December 26, 2003 shall be the ceiling with respect to both free-to-air and pay channels, both for CAS and non-CAS areas until final determination by TRAI."

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