Scepter Backs Customers

Customer is king! If cable operators or DTH service providers do not
understand this, Trai is taking care to enforce this cliché on them. The
authority has floated consultation paper to improve and ensure the quality of
service being delivered by cable TV and DTH operators. In doing this the
authority has taken up the matter with the state governments and the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting seeking their cooperation in implementation of
Quality of Service (QoS) regulations.

The authority had also issued regulations for DTH service on August 31, 2007.
The overall scenario at Trai seems more challenging in the case of cable
operators where most transmission in the sector is analog.

Cable operators boast of connecting more than 78 mn homes to cable TV from
just 410,000 cable TV homes in early 1992. During this period, the number of
permitted television channels has increased to about 370 channels. This number
does not include Doordarshan channels. The problem in turning cable business to
digital is the reduction of profit margins due to increase in the rate of
broadcasters fee and tariff regulation imposed by Trai. Cable operators rue that
the cable can carry only 70 channels approximately.

Trai has mentioned that equipments being used by cable TV operators should
comply with standards decided by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to ensure QoS
on the subscriber's premise. But cable TV operators contest saying that there
are not many equipments available in the market that comply with BIS standards.

The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 requires the MSOs and
LCOs to comply with BIS standards for their equipments. Trai feels this should
be specified for MSOs as has been recommended for LCOs. The authority has also
recommended that the terms and conditions of license of MSOs should cast an
obligation upon the licensees to follow BIS standard IS 13420 (revised) or any
other standard regarding transmission in cable TV networks as defined from time
to time.

Besides this Trai feels that presence for effective enforcement machinery at
ground level is critical for the success of QoS regulation. This will empower
the individual cable TV subscribers to approach the District Consumer Redressal
Forums as provided under Section 14 of the Trai Act for deficiencies in service
if the QoS benchmarks are not met. For ensuring this right of subscribers, Trai
has written to the state governments for involving the district administration.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has also been addressed for enlarging
the scope of state level and district level monitoring committees, so that these
committees may also monitor implementation of QoS regulations. The extent to
which QoS regulations will be successful in protecting the interests of the
consumers would depend on the effectiveness of District Level Consumer Forum and
the involvement of local district administration under the state governments.
Against this background and to meet the expectation of viewers and for
empowering them, the authority has felt it appropriate to lay down regulations
for quality of service to be observed by the cable operators and multi system
operators in non-CAS areas too.

Prasoon Srivastava

prasoons@cybermedia.co.in