CAS implementation process sets in motion

New Delhi, Aug 1: The process for introducing the Conditional Access System (CAS) for tramsmission of TV programmes in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata by December 31 this year has formally started from today with the government issuing a notification in this regard.

Introduction of the System had been deferred in 2004 following intense oppposition from the people and broadcasters.

The notification for having CAS in place in the three metros has been issued in persuance of the Delhi High Court order of July 20.

From December 31, it shall be mandatory for every cable operator to transmit or re-transmit programmes of every pay channel through an addressable system in the areas notified by the Government in its order of July 10, 2003, said the notification issued late last night.

If the subscriber wishes to view pay channels he will have to use 'Set Top Box' (STB) through which the channels, which he wishes to view would reach him.

No STB is required if the subscriber wants to watch only the free to air (FTA) channels.

STBs would be made available to the subscriber through various mechanism depending upon the business models of the cable operators/MSOs viz through outright purchase, hire purchase, financing schemes etc.

Consumers in the country today have to pay a fixed price for receiving approximately 80-100 channels without a choice. The channels are distributed by about 15-20,000 cable operators spread all over the country.

With CAS system, consumers would have the option to choose the channels they want to pay for and view, rather than receiving the whole set of channels made available to them by the cable operator.

The work on CAS had first commenced when the then I and B Minister Sushma Swaraj set up a task force in September 2001. Following its report, the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 was amended and a notification was issued for introducing the system within six months and a new task force was set up to ensure this.

However, the goverment had to defer implementation following intense oppposition from the people and broadcasters. The government decision to defer the implementaion was challenged in court, which had, in March this year, ordered the Centre to implement the system in four metros within four weeks.

The Government, then moved the Delhi High Court seeking more time on the ground that the four weeks time given by the High Court in its order was not enough in view of the complexity involved in the matter.

The court in its order of last month gave the government time till December 31 to implement the CAS.

Earlier, attempts to introduce CAS in Delhi and other Metros in 2003 failed in the face of resistance by citizens' bodies.

Chennai is the only city where CAS has been implemented.

Today, Indian cable and satellite (C&S) entertainment is probably one of the cheapest in the world, and if the CAS is implemented, people would naturally demand freedom of not to pay for the channels, they don't want to see.

UNI