TRAI rejects MSOs' plea on bracketing of channels

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) today rejected the plea of Multi Service Operators(MSOs) for amending the tariff order of October 1, 2004 for broadcasting and cable services to make the broadcasters offer new pay channels only as individual channels.

Under the Tariff Order, a broadcaster has an option to offer new pay channels /converted FTA to pay channels either individually or as part of new bouquet on a standalone basis.

TRAI said after studying the proposal it had come to the conclusion that providing for new pay channels only as individual channel would not lead to better consumer choice in the absence of addressability at the consumer end.

The Authority has decided that the only amendment that is required in the Tariff Order of 1.10.2004 is to provide for guidance to benchmark the prices of new pay channels.

Accordingly, a new section 3 B has been added stating that in determining the similarity of rates of similar channels while benchmarking the price of new pay channel, factors such as the genre and language of the new pay channel /converted FTA to pay channel, range of prices ascribed to the channel of similar genre and language in the price of bouquets that existed on 26.12.2003, range of prices of individual channels of similar genre and language as existing in CAS areas would be taken into account.

TRAI said the decision also took note of developments in the area of DTH in terms of likelihood of a competing operator and the decision of the Hon�ble Delhi High Court on implementation of CAS in the Metros of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

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