Ministry asks Trai to suggest steps to curb cable monopoly

The Information and Broadcasting (I and B)Ministry has asked Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to suggest measures to check monopoly of cable TV sector.

“I have requested the ministry to make a reference to the Trai on how to remove monopoly,” I and B Minister Manish Tewari told reporters here on Monday.

As the government is moving towards second phase of digitisation, it asked the sector regulator to make recommendations to curb monopoly at a local, state or regional level and a whole gamut of related issues.

Asked whether the step was in relation to the domination by certain players in the Multi System Organisations (MSOs) category in states like Punjab, he said “Essentially this is not about Punjab or about any state. I think the issue is very germane. When you are trying to create a transparent architecture which empowers the consumer, I think in the process of empowerment, it is also essential that they need to have a wider choice in terms of operators that they could choose from,” he said. “There are similar provisions with regard to sectoral caps in telecom, even when we do the radio auction, we mandate such cap,” he added.