NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court giving the go ahead, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday announced separate tariff orders applicable for commercial subscribers in CAS and non-CAS areas.

It has divided commercial subscribers into two categories. The first, consisting of hotels with a grading of three star and above and heritage hotels, will pay for pay channels and set top boxes according to mutually agreed rates. This category will also include any other hotels, motels, Inns and such other commercial establishments providing board and lodging and having 50 or more rooms.

TRAI has reasoned that market forces would be allowed to prevail because this section is capable of protecting its interests. However, bouquets offered to this category in CAS areas will be subject to restrictions on the maximum bouquet price in relation to the sum of individual channel prices to ensure that this category also gets the choice of individual channels as well as bouquets.

All other commercial establishments will fall in the second category and the tariff for CAS and non-CAS areas will be as that of ordinary cable subscribers. The relevant date for reckoning the ceiling is December 23, 2003, in non-CAS areas. The tariff orders also provide that whenever any commercial cable subscriber uses the programmes of a broadcaster for public viewing by 50 or more persons at special events in a place registered under the Entertainment Tax Act, the tariff will have to be mutually decided.

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