Karnataka - Mysore   

Cable operators blame MSOs for service disruption

Special Correspondent

Meeting to be held with Deputy Commissioner on September 12 To meet Deputy Commissioner on September 12

MYSORE: Public disenchantment against cable television service providers is on the rise following their unprofessional attitude towards subscribers and the tendency to hold subscribers to ransom.

This came to the fore when television screens in the city went blank following a snap strike by the service providers over the levy of 10 per cent entertainment tax by the State Government.

While the service resumed by noon, following an assurance from the Government that the issue will be resolved, the public was not amused. They have a litany of complaints against the cable operators in the city including allegations of charging exorbitant subscription fee.

The subscription fee is the highest in Gokulam and Vontikoppal areas in the city where it ranges between Rs. 200 and Rs. 250 in addition to the 10 per cent tax.

While it is the local cable operator who is held responsible for all the ills plaguing the cable television industry, the operators blame the main service operators (MSO) for their predicament.

"We are guinea pigs in the hands of the MSOs, who have a monopoly over providing signals," local cable operators said.

There are nearly 250 cable service providers in the city of which 180 are reckoned to be dominant and cover a majority of the areas. They have a subscriber base of at least 60,000 among them. In addition, there are 40 small-time operators whose network is reckoned to cover around 40,000 households.

"Since a majority of the households are unable to pay the actual monthly subscription fee in certain areas of the city, we charge a nominal amount of Rs. 60 to Rs. 80. But we, in turn, pay Rs. 186 to the MSOs for each connection that we provide, and are undergoing a loss. If the Government levies an additional 10 per cent as entertainment tax, either the subscribers will seek the disconnection of services or we will be forced to close down as it will not be economically viable," a cable service provider said on condition of anonymity.

"We are already paying Rs. 3,000 a month to MSOs as entertainment tax and we do not know where this money is going," said another service operator.

The problem, according to cable service providers, is the monopoly by MSOs in particular areas. "Even if I find the charges levied by one MSO steep, I do not have the freedom to shift to another MSO as the latter will not provide me with signals. The only way to break their stranglehold is to float a new MSO at the local level and this has already happened in Gokulam," a cable operator said.

The Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) has stressed the need for a regulatory commission to protect the interest of consumers. The demand is significant in view of the unfair monopolistic trade practices of the service providers who hold the consumers to ransom, the MGP said.

Meanwhile, a meeting of cable service providers in the city has been scheduled with the Deputy Commissioner on September 12 to sort out various issues.

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