I&B Min seeks TRAI recommendations to regulate cable TV sector

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the regulator for Direct-to-Home services, if there is a need to regulate such local channels and put in place a comprehensive set of provisions for them.

The Ministry has also asked the TRAI if there was need to put a cap on the total number of ground based channels operated by a single multi-system operator/cable operator.

It has said that instances have come to its notice where some cable operators were found involved in transmission of local channels over wider geographical area and thus operating as state/regional/national channels like permitted private satellite TV channels without any permission.

In its reference, the Ministry has asked TRAI to examine whether there was a need to prescribe separate eligibility criteria for cable operators transmitting local news and current affairs channels at their level.

It has also sought TRAI's specific recommendations with regard to eligibility criteria, terms and conditions including foreign investment levels, net-worth criteria and requirement of security clearance for such channels.

The regulation of such local or ground-based channels operating at the level of local cable operators (LCOs)/multi- system operators (MSOs) has assumed significance in view of the digitisation of cable TV sector being implemented in the entire country in a phased time bound manner.

The Ministry observed that such channels, popularly known as local channels, are currently not subject to a regulatory framework unlike private satellite TV channels permitted under its uplinking/downlinking guidelines.

"As a result, local channels continue to mushroom all over the country without having registration/license," it said.

"Given the present state of technological advancement, the tendency to network content at a larger geographical area has gained strength," the Ministry observed.