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New cable TV regulations from April 1
By Baiju NT [ March 01, 2009 ]Views: (43)
New cable TV regulations from April 1
The Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) has issued new subscriber-friendly cable TV regulations for cable operators to ensure quality services in areas where the conditional access system (CAS) is yet to be implemented. The new regulations will benefit over 80 million cable TV subscribers in the country and will come into force on April 1, 2009.
The TRAI has made it mandatory for cable operators to issue bills and receipts to subscribers and maintain a 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. help desks every day. A key provision in the regulations is that operators are not permitted to take a channel off the network without offering notice of at least three weeks to subscribers. Subscribers have to be provided with a 15-day notice if the connection is going to be cut.
In case of a break in service for preventive maintenance, subscribers have to be alerted. A new connection should be provided within seven days of application, if there are no technical hurdles. The details of the services being offered, such as the number of free-to-air and pay channels and the tariff, should be spelt out. Apart from issuing bills and receipts, subscriber complaints on billing will have to be redressed within seven days and refunds issued within 30 days following the resolution of the complaint or before the next billing cycle, whichever is earlier.
If digital services are offered, with or without CAS, operators should make available to the subscribers the details of places where digital decoders or set-top boxes, which should be BIS-standard compliant, can be purchased or obtained on rent or hire-purchase. They should also publicize the salient features of various schemes available for outright purchase, rent or hire-purchase of decoders or set top boxes.
The supplied set top boxes (on rent or hire-purchase) have to be replaced or repaired within 24 hours in case of malfunction. TRAI has specified that the technical quality of signals should be in keeping with those published by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The TRAI regulations also entrust district consumer forums and state government officials to handle grievances and enforce quality of service.
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