No extension to CAS deadline, says Govt

New Delhi, Dec 29 (UNI) The Government today clarified that the Conditional Access System(CAS) was going to be implemented in notified areas of the national capital, Kolkata and Mumbai from December 31 and no extension of deadline was under consideration, as reported in a section of the press ''Reports appearing in sections of the media about relaxation in timeframe for introducing the CAS regime are incorrect and misleading,'' the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said here.

No decision to open up a month-long window after December 31 for consumers to make up their minds has been taken: no such afidavit has been iled in the Delhi High Court seeking extension of that date it said.

In an application moved by an MSO multi service operator for extension of time, the Delhi High Court had already taken a view that no such time extension was possible, and the Ministry did not have the power to order an extension in the date o implementation CAS, it pointed out.

The transition time to run encrypted and unencrypted channels and swithcing off pay channel signals in unencrypted format began from December 16 and will end on December 30, the Ministry said.

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