In remote India, tune in to radio on TV

The purpose seems noble. For the armed forces battling it out in the remotest corners of India and people of the North-East there is a gift ...

The purpose seems noble. For the armed forces battling it out in the remotest corners of India and people of the North-East there is a gift from All India Radio (AIR). Radio on cable delivered through the friendly neighbourhood cable operator. Result: As opposed to one channel, people will be able to listen to 20-odd channels of AIR. Those with TV sets can listen to them too. As with all such noble gifts, they come with a tab. The cable operator has to be ‘‘told’’ to carry AIR channels through the cable.

The proposal coming as it does after the Government announced its intention of bringing in Conditional Access System (CAS) fulfilling a long-standing demand of cable operators, by making the system of viewing more transparent, is more of a no-choice for operators. As the audio channels are mandatory, the operators, will have to obey, once it becomes a law.

Cable Bill likely in House today

NEW DELHI: The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002, likely to be introduced in Parliament tomorrow, seeks to empower the Government in more ways than one, thus deviating from the objective of empowering the consumer. Under the Bill, every operator shall submit a report on number of subscribers, subscription, and number of subscribers receiving programmes transmitted in basic service tier or particular programme or set of programmes on pay channel.

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By this, I-B Ministry will have control over database of subscribers by being privy to the programmes they watch. However, the Bill is silent on broadcasters’ role in the process. Again it is the Centre that shall specify, in Official Gazette, the free to air channels to be included in the package of basic service tier. Cable operators are unhappy. ‘‘The Centre can’t dictate terms for price of free-to-air channels,’’ says Rakesh Datta, member, task force to look into the conditional access system. (ENS)

Incidentally, the CAS is being opposed by broadcasters who fear that real viewership of channels will emerge once consumers pay for what they want to see.

Officials at Prasar Bharati Corporation are working to persuade the Government to make it mandatory for cable operators to carry the channels of radio, about 20-odd, through suitable amendments in Cable TV Networks Regulation Act. The Cable Act is silent on radio carriage on cable.

While the Corporation mulls the proposal, cable operators said there was no difficulty in carrying AIR channels. ‘‘The officials have to specify the investments required before announcing it,’’ they said. Officials say the cable operators have to invest in a decoder and a convertor to catch FM frequency. One convertor can catch only one channel. So an operator has to invest in 20 to receive 20 channels.

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Officials are confident there is a market for audio on cable. For instance, the operator has to invest in a FM modulator for hooking up to AIR’s channels — requiring an investment of Rs 20,000 for 20 channels. ‘‘Individually, it becomes expensive with subscribers required to invest in a satellite dish, receiver and decoder,’’ officials said.