No Tariff Structure change under CAS: TRAI

New Delhi, Nov 21: Telecom regulator TRAI has decided not to effect any change in the tariff structure decided by it on March 7 for both commercial and ordinary cable subscribers in Conditional Access System (CAS) areas.

However, on the basis of meetings held with various stake-holders, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said it had issued separate tariff orders applicable to commercial subscribers in CAS and non-CAS areas.

The decision was taken on the basis of the inputs received during the consultation process with regard to the TRAI's draft tariff orders of March 7 and August 31 (for CAS areas) and the meetings held with various stake-holders.

For the purpose of tariff regulation, TRAI said, there would be two categories of commercial subscribers. The first category will comprise hotels with a 3-star grading and above and heritage hotels.

This category will also include any other hotels, motels, inns and such other commercial establishments providing boarding and lodging and having 50 or more rooms.

In the second category would fall all other commercial establishments.

''In respect of the first category, the tariffs of pay channels as well as set top box (STB) rentals are proposed to be left to mutual agreements and market forces in both CAS and non-CAS areas on the ground that they are capable of protecting their interests,'' TRAI observed.

However, in order to ensure that this category also gets the choice of individual channels as well as bouquets in CAS areas, which is available to other consumers, the bouquets offered to it will be subject to restrictions on maximum bouquet price in relation to sum of individual channel prices.

Similar will be the case for those commercial subscribers in non-CAS areas having their own head ends and other facilities to receive signals directly from the broadcasters.

The tariff in respect of other commercial establishments in the CAS and non-CAS areas will be similar to that of ordinary cable subscribers. The relevant date for reckoning the ceiling is December 26, 2003 in non-CAS areas.

TRAI said its tariff orders also provide that if any commercial cable subscriber uses the programmes of a broadcaster for public viewing by 50 or more persons on the occasion of special events at a place registered under the Entertainment Tax Act, the tariff will have to be mutually decided between the parties concerned.

TRAI had issued, as an interim measure, a Tariff Amendment Order on March 7 this year, as amended on March 24, fixing a ceiling on cable TV charges for commercial subscribers at the level prevailing as March 1.

Meanwhile, the Hotel Associations had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the January 17 judgment of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The apex court ordered that status quo be maintained.

Subsequently, the court allowed TRAI to carry out the processes for framing tariff independently. Accordingly, it has now issued separate tariff orders applicable to commercial subscribers in CAS and non-CAS areas.

UNI