TRAI recommends digitization of Cable TV services
The TRAI has recommended a revamp in the cable TV industry. In an overhaul of the Cable TV services it has recommended that all cable operators be given five years to change over from the present analogue system to a digital network.
Presently in most places there are three different service providers giving TV, telecom and Internet services. The TRAI has recommended the Multi Operator System be done away with so that one operator can provide all the three services. This will also improve the quality of the service.
The TRAI has also recommended an entry fee of Rs 10,000 at the district level and Rs 1,00,000 at the state level. Amongst the reforms is has included a proviso for the Cable Operators to provide a detailed bill to their customers.
Another important recommendation is the RoW – Right of Way for the cable operators to lay cables underground as well as over ground. Ministry of I&B is likely to commence a dialogue with the state governments very soon. The government aims to achieve parity between various service providers through the reforms.
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TRAI recommendations lack understanding of the technicalities of Cable TV Business. The registration with postal authorities is now called licensing by the same postal authorities, who have no understanding of scrutinizing basic technical conmpliance requirements. Indian standards have existed for over 10 years laying down EOL (End Of Line) spacifications. Section 9 of Cable Act mandates use of hardware conforming to Indian Standards. Cable Operator is not competent to conform to these standards. Hence the situation will NOT improve. In analog, signal deteriorated but travelled as an eye sore on the screen, in varying degrees, due to lack of proper equalization. Over the same netwiork Digital Siognal will either be received or NOT received. Since the requirement of receiving FTA(Free To Air) signals without STB (Set Top Box) has NOT been dispensed with, delivery of 30 analog channels, at least, local content and video replays will remain as at present. TRAI had earlier discarded the DISTRIBUTOR of MSO in CAS implementation. Now MSO has bee recognized as a seperate category for licensing in terms of fee and size of area of operation. Recommendations are silent on physical verification of connectivity declared with postal authorities. Further, TRAI has NOT recommended mandatory bi-directionality to exploit full potential of Cable TV, proliferation of Broadband and Triple Play delivery. Govt clearly wants to avoid dealing with 60000 cable operators. They want to talk to few elite DTH operators, IPTV service providers and MSOs.These recommendations cannot improve the pathetic conditions prevailing now substantuially. Perhaps all that is required is implementation of addressability across the country, removing this bogey of phased implementation of CAS. Govt cannot do it. This should be left to the industry and they will do it.