The Hindu Business Line : Delhi cable operators' goodwill gesture

DAY 2 of the implementation of the Conditional Access System (CAS) in the Capital saw some concessions from the cable industry, a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Delhi High Court and an overjoyed audience after India's historic win against the Australians.

In a goodwill gesture, cable operators on Tuesday decided to make available the three major Hindi entertainment channels without set top boxes (STBs) till January 1. After a meeting between the various cable service providers, all other pay channels will be encrypted and will be available through STBs.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Coordination Council and the Consumers' Online Foundation Forum have filed a PIL against the Government seeking intervention of the Delhi High Court against the introduction of CAS in the present manner as envisaged under the amended Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

It said that on a conservative estimate, the CAS under implementation across the 40-million cable and satellite homes, has been estimated to cost the consumers in these cities nearly Rs 16,000 crore with no commensurate benefit to them.

It further said that the CAS failed to address important issues such as area-specific monopolistic distribution system of cable operators; frequent and arbitrary hikes by cable operators and broadcasters; massive under declaration by cable operators; the absence of a regulatory authority to look into pricing and administration of the broadcast industry as had been directed by the Supreme Court of India in 1995; the rights of the consumer to redressal and information and the rights of the consumer to decide on the appropriate choice of access device.

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