TRAI amended broadcasting & cable service regulation framework

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, TRAI has notified amendments to the regulatory framework for broadcasting and cable services. TRAI has removed the ceiling on network capacity fee, NCF of 130 rupees for 200 channels and 160 rupees for more than 200 channels. The fee will now be driven by market forces. In order to ensure transparency, the regulator said that all charges have to be mandatorily published by service providers and communicated to consumers, besides reporting to it. The primary objective of these amendments includes facilitating the growth of the broadcasting sector and promoting ease of doing business by simplifying the regulatory provisions.
Distribution platform operators (DPOs) have been allowed to offer discounts of up to 45% while forming their channel bouquets to enable flexibility and provide deals to consumers. Earlier, this discount was limited to 15%.A pay channel available at no subscription fee on the direct-to-home (DTH) platform of the public service broadcaster has to be declared free-to-air by the broadcaster for all addressable distribution platforms so as to have a level-playing field. DPOs have been mandated to declare the tariffs of their platform services.These measures are expected to not only simplify the offerings of service providers to consumers but also promote the availability of high-quality channels, Trai said.
Charges for services such as installation and activation, visits, relocation and temporary suspension, which were prescribed earlier under regulation, have now been kept under forbearance. DPOs will have to publish the charges of their services for clarity and transparency. Further, the duration, term and validity of all prepaid subscriptions should be specified by the number of days only for greater clarity to consumers.