ITV

Tag: Commercial Subscriber

  • TDSAT to hear petition challenging TRAI’s DAS tariff relating to commercial subscribers on 5 December

    TDSAT to hear petition challenging TRAI’s DAS tariff relating to commercial subscribers on 5 December

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) will hear on 5 December the petition by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) challenging the DAS tariff order issued in July by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) relating to commercial subscribers.

     
    When the issue came up in the Tribunal, counsel Abhishek Malhotra who represents the IBF said he needed time to file a rejoinder to the reply filed by TRAI following a notice in this regard in September.

     
    In the tariff order, TRAI had said commercial establishments who do not specifically charge its clients/guests on account of providing/showing television programmes and offer such services as part of amenities are to be treated like ordinary subscribers wherein the charges would be on per television basis.

     
    In cases where commercial subscribers specifically charge its clients/guests on account of providing/showing television programmes the tariff would be as mutually agreed between the broadcaster and the commercial subscriber.
     

    TRAI had also said that the commercial subscriber was to obtain television service only from a distribution platform operator (MSO/DTH Operator/IPTV operator/HITS operator).

     
    The tariff order amendment has been brought out as per the directions of the Supreme Court. It is expected that with the coming into force of these changes in the regulatory framework, the distribution of TV services to the commercial subscribers would be streamlined and the services would be available to them at competitive rates.

     

  • Stakeholders undivided on constitution of commercial subscriber

    Stakeholders undivided on constitution of commercial subscriber

    NEW DELHI: What constitutes commercial or non-commercial subscribers for broadcasting and cable TV services?

     

    This question remained largely unresolved in an open house discussion on tariff issues related to broadcasting and cable television services for commercial subscribers held later today.

     

    Broadcasters by and large were in agreement that anyone other than a domestic subscriber is a commercial subscriber.

     

    There was also division on who is responsible for the subscriber. While broadcasters feel they should know about the subscribers, the multi-service operators and cable operators said they are generally responsible for dealing with the subscriber and the broadcaster should not interfere.

     

    The Open House Discussion was called by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as it has to submit a proper tariff chart to the Supreme Court by 16 July.

     

    The meet was attended by senior officials of TRAI, the broadcasting fraternity including the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, and other stakeholders, apart from consumer organisations.

     

    The whole controversy rose after an order of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal of 28 May 2010 was challenged in the Supreme Court, which had on 16 April this year said: “…However, we direct that for a period of three months, the impugned tariff, which is in force as on today, shall continue. Within the said period, TRAI shall look into the matter de novo, as directed in the impugned judgment, and shall re–determine the tariff after hearing the contentions of all the stake holders….”

     

     TRAI had issued a consultation paper in this connection, and also invited comments from stakeholders by June-end. Though several stakeholders have already responded in writing, they were today given a final opportunity to send in their written comments by 8 July.

     

     On behalf of TRAI, the meet was attended by member R K Arnold, Dr Vijayalakshmy K Gupta, principal advisor N Parameswaran and secretary Sudhir Gupta. Others among the approximately 100 stakeholders who attended were IBF’s Sailesh Shah, Sony’s Naresh Chahal, Star’s Pulak Bagchi, a representative of Siticable and Cable Operators Federation of India’s Roop Sharma.

     

    Cable operator and journalist K K Sharma said most cable operators charged the same fee from commercial or non-commercial subscribers.

     

    A representative of the hotel industry said that it did not differentiate between a commercial or non-commercial subscriber. 

     

    Broadcasters representatives insisted that a lot of the investment went into production of content and so advertising was important, but some stakeholders said that encrypted channels should not be allowed to take commercials.

     

    Among the questions that the TRAI had asked in the consultation paper was whether stakeholders agreed with the definitions of ‘commercial establishment, ‘shop’ and ‘commercial subscriber’ given by TRAI; whether there was a need to further categorise commercial subscribers; tariff for commercial subscribers and whether it should be the same as for ordinary subscribers.