States ask for more time to implement CAS

New Delhi, June 5 (UNI) In a step towards extending the Conditional Access System (CAS) to other parts of the four metros, and later to more cities, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting today held a meeting with representatives of state governments and TRAI to elicit their views.

Joint Secretary in the Ministry Zohra Chatterji told UNI that the states wanted some more time to study the matter, and they said they would be getting back to the Ministry with their feedback within a month.

''In fact the Ministry wanted to set some timeframe, but the representatives of the state requested that they be given some more time before they fix the date to implement the CAS,'' she said.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priyaranjan Dasmunsi had last month said all parts of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata would be covered by CAS by January next year.

He had also said cities having over a lakh of population would be taken up next.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was looking into the issue of whether CAS should be made mandatory or could be voluntary.

UNI