CAS twist: Cable guys reject rates

Two things have happened since Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad promised a hassle-free, consumer-friendly rollout ...

Two things have happened since Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad promised a hassle-free, consumer-friendly rollout of CAS on July 15. One, cable operators who met him today said the proposals submitted by the broadcasters including rates fixed by the ministry for free to air channels were not acceptable and the hassles were far from over. Two, ministry officials are not clear whether CAS will really turn out to be in the interests of the consumer.

If all that sounds confusing, with just 14 days to go for the deadline of CAS implementation in the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, so be it. Officials think, they may still have a proposal to pull out of their bags by the last date. Cable operators, whom Prasad described today as ‘‘valued members of the broadcast business’’ — representing the Cable Networks Association, Cable Operators’ Federation of India and the National Cable Telecommunications Association — called on him today and submitted their rejoinders to the broadcasters’ proposal.

Hinting at a hiked cable subscription fee if CAS is not implemented by law as mandated by Parliament, they furnished a new list of rates on the broadcasters’ calculations to arrive at the new royal sum of Rs 530 per month. Reason? Cable operators have so far not passed on the burden of pay channels to the consumers.

Prasad said he was looking into their objections and questions raised. An operator, Roop Sharma, said the broadcasters’ suggestion of dual feed (making available encrypted channels without the mandatory set-top box till such time as boxes are made available so as to not harass consumers) was not a practical solution, as it involved tremendous expenditure at their end. ‘‘Why should we be called to pick the tabs when the broadcasters are not doing anything to help the situation,’’ Sharma asked.

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The cable operators have come with a novel suggestion: Give all channels at Rs 72 for a month till CAS is completely mandated in the country.

The operators’ package

•Star bouquet: Rs 60
• Zee-Turner: Rs 55
• One Alliance: Rs 55
• ESPN-Star: Rs 32
• MEN bouquet – Rs 28
• Raj TV: Rs 12
• KTV, Sun News: Rs 15
• Gemini and Teja: Rs 15
• Video channels: Rs 20 Total for pay channels: Rs 292.
Add free channels Rs 180; tax Rs 20; service tax Rs 38
Total: Rs 530

While officials are yet to take stock of the situation, they are still mulling over a few options which include dual feed, area-wise roll out of CAS and a new notification, if necessary to make room for the conditional implementation of the Conditional Access System.

Meanwhile, Union Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Yadav, who claimed he was yet to see a set-top box, directed consumers to seek the help of consumer courts to seek redressal of their problems, in the wake of confusion over the implementation of CAS.