Compulsory digitisationCable operators to move TDSAT

Oppose the provision allowing consumers to choose channels

 The Karnataka State Cable TV Operators’ Association will move the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) over the diktat to digitise transmission signals, said its president.

The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2011, passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year, mandates all cable TV operators transmit signals in a digitised format. The consumers will have to install a set-top box in their homes to receive signals. The new system will enable viewers pay for the channels of their choice instead of choosing packages.

Speaking at the Cable Day celebrations here on Monday, V S Patrick Raju, the president of the Association, said the operators were against allowing consumers to choose channels.
“This way, both the operators and the consumers will be losing out on paid and free channels. We are not happy with this concept and will challenge this provision before TDSAT,” Raju said.

He said the amended Act was not clear on who should pay for the set-top box. The cable operators will have to switch over to digital format before March 2013.

Ambiguous

G S Sudish Kumar, the spokesperson of the Association, said there was lot of ambiguity in the price for set-top boxes and the monthly charges for cable TV service.
He said many consumers were in favour of the present analogue signal regime and the government had not come out with clear reason for compulsory digitisation.