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Tag: Task Force

  • DAS Phase III status report: East and West

    DAS Phase III status report: East and West

    MUMBAI: Though the deadline was announced well in advance, the action on-ground took quite some time to get rolling. And now it’s certainly too late to finish on time. “It’s chaos and carnage together. Digitisation, which was meant to be a panacea has turned out to be a poison for cable operators and it’s sad that there is no one to stand by their side,” said a retired official from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on condition of anonymity.

     

    As per the official’s assessment, on an average, 40 per cent seeding of set-top-boxes (STBs) has been done successfully and it will be impossible to meet the 31 December, 2015.

     

    Digitisation is an East – West – North – South affair and the progress report is quite similar everywhere. This report by Indiantelevision.com covers the proceedings of the eastern and western parts of the country.

     

    East

     

    The North Eastern part of the country has always been one of the most neglected areas when it comes to central government’s attention. The story is no different when it comes to DAS too. “People here are not aware of 10 per cent of the laws. There is nobody to go to and talk about grievances. Not everyone can go to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) as they cannot afford to. So they have two options, to either opt out entirely from the cable business or succumb to unfair means. While there are grievances involved, we cannot expect work to go on a brisk pace and it’s all delayed,” Task Force member from Assam Iquebal Ahmed tells this website.

     

    While Ahmed refrained from putting a number to the progress but as per the assessment of other cable operators, approximately 30 per cent of the seeding has been done so far.

     

    And this 30 per cent is still on higher side the story is even worse in West Bengal. “Only eight to 10 per cent of the seeding has been done so far,” estimates Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia. But he also says the work has picked up recently and it is not impossible to meet the deadline provided there is a surge in consumer demand.

     

    “The government has to advertise more aggressively by putting more newspaper inserts to drive consumer requirement. The message needs to be very clear that people need to have set top boxes before 31 December or there will be no TV,” stresses Sethia.

     

    The crisis of STBs, which is very widely spoken about is not something Sethia is bothered about. “As far as we are concerned, we have enough hardware to meet the demand,” he says confidently.

     

    West

     

    The west side story is a lot better in comparison. “About 60 per cent of the seeding has been done in Gujarat and if we continue with the way we are forging forward, there is a good possibility of us reaching the target by March if not December, provided the deadline is not postponed. However, if the deadline is postponed, the momentum of work will break since the pressure will ease off and then we might not be able to achieve it by June,” says GTPL Hathway COO Shaji Mathews.

     

    Mathews is of the opinion that deals with broadcasters cannot be a reason behind the delay. “Even in Phase I and II, analogue deals continued in digitised areas for a brief period. The transition takes time and will gradually fall in place,” he adds.

     

    However, the progress report in Maharashtra is not as hunky dory as that of Gujarat. The Maharashtra government, like the Central government, is adamant on no extension of deadline. The respective collectors have also communicated the same across every nook and corner. But there is a huge lack of awareness among consumers, says a senior member of Nasik District Cable Operators Federation.

     

    He further adds, “Do we have the infrastructure ready? Why are we not talking about that? The MSOs will benefit the most from this chaotic scenario. They are not releasing the boxes now and the reason is that when the demand hikes up at the last moment, they can jack up the price and sell. DEN is charging Rs 1600 for a STB! Can a phase III consumer afford it? The government needs to look into the deeper issues and generate more awareness instead of showing its muscle power.”

     

    What the scenario at the ground level will be post 31 December, 2015, only time will tell.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s next report will focus on the ground realities in the Northern and Southern parts of the country. Stay tuned.

  • DAS: A mirage that moves farther, the closer one gets to it

    DAS: A mirage that moves farther, the closer one gets to it

    New Delhi/Mumbai: When developed countries like the United States and the United Kingdom decided to adopt digital addressable systems (DAS), they knew there would be major road blocks.

    Not only did these countries decide to complete digitisation by 2017-end, but admitted that both analogue and DAS would have to co-exist for some time until all viewers realised the advantages of digitisation.

    In its effort to beat these bigger countries, India decided it would set out a deadline wherein analogue and DAS would not co-exist.

    The result was a mirage that was shown to most Indians and – as it happens with a mirage – the realisation became more distant as the deadlines approached.

    It was exactly a decade earlier (14 September, 2005) that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) presented its first report on Digitisation of Cable Television. Five years later, in August 2010 it gave recommendations relating to DAS.

    However, it was only in April 2011 that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) finalised the schedule for digitisation. According to that decision, which was notified in November that year, the entire country was to have adapted to digital addressable cable systems by December 2014. The first phase covering the metros was to be completed by 31 March, 2012, Phase II covering cities with a population more than one million by 31 March, 2013, Phase III covering all urban areas (Municipal Corporations/Municipalities) by 30 September, 2014 and Phase IV covering the rest of India by 31 December, 2014.

    Since then, the deadlines have been pushed at least twice. The first was when Phase I was delayed by six months, whereas the second was when the current Government decided that the Phase III deadline would be extended to December 2015 and Phase IV to December 2016.

    And clearly at a time like this, it would be apt to quote these popular lines from Robert Frost’s poem made famous by the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru – ‘The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep.’

    Indeed there are miles to go even as Phase I in the metros claimed to be major success. But it is well known that DAS continued to be barred by a stay order of the Madras High Court, and there are large pockets in the other three metros (Mumbai, Delhi & Kolkata) where analogue TV continues to thrive. 

    Phase II also suffered in that many of the cities are still not digitised and this is evidenced by the large number of cases pending before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal (TDSAT).

    Keeping in mind ground level realities, the government initially contemplated merging the final two phases, but realised that this might lead to major embarrassment. Therefore, it was decided by the Narendra Modi led government to implement Phase III by the end of 2015 and the rest of the country in Phase IV by the end of 2016. The third phase includes 38.79 million television households spread across 630 districts and 7,709 urban areas.

    In a recent conversation with Indiantelevision.com, MIB additional secretary J S Mathur, who heads the Task Force for the final two phases, ruled out any possibility of extension of deadline. He said, “There is no reason for any extension of dates for completion of phase III. Work is proceeding as per schedule.”  

    However as the saying goes, there are many a slips between the cup and the lip. So even as the first deadline is barely four months away, there are many hurdles in the way that need to be crossed.

    Apart from several legal issues, the last Task Force itself laid bare many of these hurdles.

    SHORTAGE OF MSOs

    Although the Home Ministry has in principle decided to do away with security clearance for multi system operators (MSOs), the fact is that India still has not even touched the figure of 375 in the number of MSOs. As per the last report dated 20 August,2015, while 226 MSOs have 10-year licences, 146 have only provisional licences. It does not need a bright mind to figure out that the number stands out as a joke when one considers the number of television households in the country.

    SET TOP BOXES

    The country still does not have adequate STBs and it is claimed by many local cable operators (LCOs) that the STBs being supplied are those that are meant for direct-to-home (DTH) transmission and not cable and therefore create problems. The other option is to take cheap China-made STBs.

    Despite the Make in India campaign, very few manufacturers have come forward with proposals for reliable STBs. 

    The Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) complained at the Task Force meeting that no major orders were being placed with it by MSOs. However, a representative of the CEAMA said, “There is little time to place orders if they want the STBs, which are required to be delivered before the cut-off date.”

    The FICCI annual survey of manufacturing shows that there has actually been a decline in the manufacture of electronic goods, despite the Make in India impetus. The manufacture of electronics – presuming these include broadcast equipment and STBs – and electrical came down from 75 per cent in the last quarter of 2013-14 to 70 per cent in the same period of 2014-15.

    LACK OF AWARENESS

    Clearly, this is a grey area, since many people in the country are not aware of the advantages of DAS. The last Task Force meeting stressed on the need to push up awareness through advertisements, workshops, and interactive sessions. There was even mention of a Chetna Yatra.  

    There is lack of communication even between the regulator TRAI and the stakeholders. A Task Force member from Assam said, “The regulatory bodies need to speed up their action. TRAI is supposed to launch its regional operations. There is no clear idea when that will happen. The system here in Assam is not aware of various rules and regulations and the operators do not have the affording power to take the legal battle to Delhi so they often succumb to injustice.”   

    INTER-CONNECT AGREEMENTS

    TRAI had recently asked all broadcasters and MSOs to make the Authority aware of any problems they were facing. However! there were very few complaints, because in most cases the matters are pending before TDSAT or courts of law.

    The interconnect agreement between the stakeholders of the ecosystem is pending even in DAS phase I and phase II areas. “People are not ready to spend in head-ends as there is no clear revenue model. There are distributors who have their favorite MSOs and there is a discrimination of revenue flow on the basis of that favouritism,” said an LCO. He further added “We want a transparent revenue model, which will only come after signing of the interconnect agreement.”

    DAS TARIFF

    In an order on 28 April subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court, TDSAT told TRAI that it “will be well advised to have a fresh look at the various tariff orders in a holistic manner and come out with a comprehensive tariff order in supersession of all the earlier tariff orders.”

    It had also said, “While doing so, it may consider all the agreements and relevant data available with it. It may consider differentiating between content, which is of a monopolistic nature as against that which is shown by other channels also. It may also consider classifying the content into premium and basic tiers.”  The Tribunal had struck down TRAI’s tariff orders.

    COMMERCIAL TARIFF

    TRAI has already begun a fresh exercise in the light of court orders in trying to determine the difference between commercial and private tariff. Following directions by TDSAT earlier this year that there was need for a fresh look at tariff orders, TRAI had issued a new paper on “Tariff issues related to Commercial Subscribers”. In the paper, TRAI asked commercial subscribers whether there is need to define and differentiate between domestic subscribers and commercial subscribers for provision of TV signals and the basis for such classification.

    PROBLEMS BETWEEN MSO AND DISTRIBUTORS

    There is no clear communication between the two very important stakeholders of the DAS ecosystem – the MSOs and distributors. Recently all Multi Screen Media MD channels were taken off Hathway due to internal issues between the two stakeholders. Additionally, Indusind Media and Communication Limited (IMCL) and India Cast are now going through disruption. IMCL informed its subscribers through a message: “Indiacast group is demanding steep increase in monthly subscription, which is commercially unviable, they are pressurizing us by running OSD on colors. IMCL is planning to take the legal recourse. Regret inconvenience caused to you and appreciate your support. Thanks IMCL team”

    MSO – LMO TUSSLES

    The lack of understanding is more prominent when it comes to the MSO and the last mile operators (LMO). The LMOs claim that they are never given their due. The differences are often taken to the regulatory bodies. In one such case, the Bombay High Court issued directions to TRAI to settle the Interconnect Agreement (ICA) issue between LMOs and MSOs within two weeks even as the MSOs believe that there is not enough transparency when it comes to the revenue models.     

    Progress, it is said, cannot be stopped. Similarly, DAS is bound to come in the country. What remains to be seen is whether in its race to catch up with the developed world, it will succeed in a smooth transition or lead to a mess that probably will linger on in courts of law, corridors of bureaucracy, or the one-upmanship of political parties. 

    digitisation

     

  • TRAI asks MSOs, b’casters to sign MoU on interconnect agreements in phase III

    TRAI asks MSOs, b’casters to sign MoU on interconnect agreements in phase III

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has given time till 30 April, 2015 to both broadcasters and multi system operators (MSOs) to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with regards to interconnect agreements in phase III of digital addressable system (DAS) areas.  

     

    During the seventh task force meeting for successful completion of phase III and IV of digitization, a representative from TRAI informed that in case the broadcasters and MSOs fail to reach any agreement, the Authority will intervene in the matter, as per regulations. “While broadcasters were asked to give report every fortnight, the same has not started coming,” said the TRAI representative.  

     

    The representative also mentioned that in the transition period both analogue as well as digital signals can be provided by the MSOs in phase III areas. “As per the regulations digital signal can be provided in areas undergoing transition without waiting for the cutoff date,” he added.

     

    The meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Information and Broadcasting Ministry additional secretary JS Mathur, who said, “While there has been some progress on the issue of interconnect agreements for phase III areas but there are still many areas which need to be addressed by broadcasters.”

     

    During the meeting, an IndusInd Media and Communication Limited (IMCL) representative said that while they had sent interconnect requests to all broadcasters, as per the TRAI directive, they had received response from only one broadcaster, while Siti Cable was still awaiting a response from all. A Siti Cable representative said, “Broadcasters are filing cases of piracy against MSOs if they start providing digital signal in the phase III areas.”

     

    MSOs pointed out that the situation is critical and TRAI must take immediate necessary action to resolve the issue. MSOs also want the entertainment tax, levied by State Governments, rationalised.

     

    Representatives of broadcasters said that they would approach TRAI for clarification on the interconnect agreements to be signed for the transition period. “No such issues of interconnect agreements were raised during phase I and phase II of digitisation and the set top boxes (STBs) were still seeded. Why are these issues being raised now?” questioned broadcasters.

     

    Broadcasters also raised concerns on the HITS (Headends In The Sky) platform of delivery with regard to addressability although it is mentioned that it is addressable from the day one. Broadcasters also opined that DAS regulations should apply from the date MSOs take digital signal.

     

    According to Mathur, consumers have the right to know what they have to pay for the digital signal and so, it is imperative that broadcasters and MSOs work out agreements between them without further loss of time. He added, “Channel package rates have to be in public domain. Broadcasters must now finalise all issues with MSOs so as to have a lead time of implementation.”

     

    While the universe for phase I and II was extremely limited, phase III has to cover all the urban areas of the country. This would thus require exhaustive planning along with suitable investments. “Both broadcasters and MSOs must now finalise their agreements and inform TRAI within the stipulated time period of 30 April,” said Mathur, while suggesting that TRAI should convene a meeting soon after the time period it has given for finalising the action plan for smooth and timely transition.

     

    Mathur also expressed dissatisfaction over the public awareness campaign for digitisation in phase III areas carried out by the stakeholders so far. He asked all stakeholders and particularly the broadcasters to start the publicity campaign forthwith.

     

    While the Ministry is still awaiting data on carriage fee and subscription revenue from both the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), an NBA representative assured that it will be sent before the next meeting.

     

    Mathur also enquired about the initiatives being taken by MSOs for using indigenously manufactured STBs. Responding to this, an MSO representatives said that the dialogue with indigenous STB manufacturers was on.

     

    Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) representative informed that they had fruitful discussions with some MSOs in which they made some financing offers to MSOs for the supply of STBs.

     

    Representative of CEAMA further added that they were now facing a major competition from the suppliers of ASEAN countries since the government, as per the ASEAN agreement signed in 2009, has reduced the import duty on STBs imported from ASEAN countries to two per cent only against 10 per cent from other countries. He said, “MSOs may neglect local STB manufacturers and start importing from ASEAN countries, but this will be against ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government.”

     

    Meanwhile a CEAMA representative requested the I&B Ministry to look into the issue, while informing that they were also in the process of writing to the Ministry of Commerce about this development. In order to know the use of indigenously manufactured STBs, Mathur directed that the information on utilisation of domestically manufactured STBs may also be sought from all MSOs along with the seeding plans.

  • 400 cable operators demonstrate outside I&B Ministry

    400 cable operators demonstrate outside I&B Ministry

    NEW DELHI: Senior officials of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry met members of the Indian Broadcast Foundation (IBF) and the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) along with other stakeholders to discuss hurdles in the way of digitisation of cable television.

    The discussion primarily centered on carriage fee and the format of agreements between the various stakeholders including subscribers.

    The broadcasters were emphatic that carriage fee should be done away with it. Senior officials including joint secretary (broadcasting) Sanjay Murthy agreed to consider the various issues that were raised at the meeting.

    A ministry source told indiantelvision.com that the meeting was part of a series that was being organised to ensure smooth switch over to digital addressable systems.

    Around 400 local cable operators, who are members of Cable Operators Welfare Federation (COWF) demonstrated outside Shastri Bhavan, which houses the ministry, to gain entry and express their point of view at the meeting. Around 150 of them were later detained by the police and taken to Parliament Street police station where they were later let off.

    The ministry source, however, said that local cable operators (LCOs) who are the members of the taskforce had been invited to the meeting but only one of them had attended.

     

  • Electronic Media Monitoring Centre to go up to 1500 channels by 2017: Rathore

    Electronic Media Monitoring Centre to go up to 1500 channels by 2017: Rathore

    NEW DELHI: The government hopes to increase the capacity of the state-of-art Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC), which currently monitors around 300 television channels, to 1500 by 2017.

     
    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore told Parliament that these 300 channels are chosen randomly out of the 839 channels beaming into Indian homes.

     
    He said that the aim was to first achieve the target of monitoring 600 channels within the next few months, while answering a question about reality shows playing with the sentiments of the people.

    In a reply to a supplementary question about young children being used in dance shows, Rathore said that there are a large number of channels and there is undoubtedly a race to attract as many eyeballs as possible. Therefore, most of these channels, no doubt, are walking a very thin line and working in that grey area. However, there is a freedom of expression. Therefore, the government does not want to impinge on the freedom of expression. Keeping in mind the morality, decency and various levels of acceptance on television, certain guidelines have been issued. “What the Ministry can say is that we will issue advisories and we will also take into account any complaint that comes,” he said.

     

    He also said that a Task Force had earlier been set up to work on a regulatory body but the channels had opposed this and wanted self-regulation.

     
    Answering the main question, I&B Minister Arun Jaitley said no fact had been brought to the notice of the government alleging shows playing with sentiments of the people. However, the content carried on private satellite TV channels is regulated according to the provisions of the Programme and Advertising Codes contained in the Cable Television Network Rules 1994 and the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 1995. The rules provide for a whole range of parameters to regulate programme and advertisements on TV channels including the reality shows.

     
    The programme code says that no programme should be carried which (a) offends good taste or decency (b) contains anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half truths (c) criticizes, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country (d) denigrates women through the depiction in any manner of the figure of a woman, her form or body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being indecent or derogatory to women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals (e) denigrates children (f) is not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition (g) is unsuitable for children.

     

    Action is taken against defaulting channels whenever any violation of the said codes is noticed or brought to the notice of the Ministry.

     

    The Ministry also has an Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) to look into the violations of the Programme and Advertisement Codes. IMC has representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs, Law, Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, Consumer Affairs and a representative from the industry in Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). IMC meets periodically and recommends action against violations.

     

    Besides, as part of self-regulation by industry, Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), which is a representative body of non-news and current affairs TV channels, has set up Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) to examine the complaints about television programmes.

     

  • Nodal monitoring units for DAS to be formed by mid-January, task force to meet every month

    Nodal monitoring units for DAS to be formed by mid-January, task force to meet every month

    NEW DELHI: A total of 11 crore set top boxes (STBs) will be needed for the third and final phase of digital addressable system of which only three crore will be for direct-to-home (DTH) platforms.

     
    The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) says the requirements for phase III have been worked out on the basis of census 2011 data and the compiled data will be sent to state governments for vetting.
     

    The data for TV households is also being collected from the Registrar General and Census Commissioner for verification.

     
    The Ministry, which claims that manufacturers have assured it of adequate supplies of STBs, has constituted a publicity committee and begun issuing advertisements in newspapers and the electronic media in this regard to encourage multi-system operators to place orders.

     
    During the recent task force meeting for the next two phases of DAS, the Ministry said it will facilitate a meeting of manufacturers of indigenous STBs and MSOs in view of complaints by the manufacturers that no orders were being placed for the STBs.

     
    A multi-lingual call centre will be set up by the end of February, and 12 nodal regional monitoring units will begin working by 15 January. The task force will meet every on the second Wednesday of every month.

     
    The task force meeting under the chairmanship of Ministry additional secretary J S Mathur was also addressed by the advisor for DAS Yogendra Pal.

     
    A road map has been prepared by the government for the final two phases, and MSOs have been asked to apply by 21 December this year for licences.

     
    The Home Ministry will clear all security licences within 90 days, the meeting was informed.

     
    Publicity awareness campaigns have also commenced, for which a Publicity Committee has been formed.

     
    The Department of Information Technology is in the process of developing an Indian cable access system that will be ready in a year and will make interoperability of STBs possible. A participant pointed out that there was still the issue of certification involved in the embedment of CAS in set top box manufactured by the domestic STB manufacturers. The integration of CAS with the STB is a time consuming process and indigenous STB manufacturers must clear the apprehensions on this account.

     
    The long pending demand of “C” Form had been resolved to give fillip to domestic manufacturing of STBs.

     
    Interestingly, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has not attended any of the two task force meetings, a point noted by several participants. However, Mathur said TRAI was being apprised of the proceedings.

     
    The Ministry officials said that MSOs could simply download the forms for registration and did not have to come to the Ministry.

     
    A participant pointed out that the carriage fee which had fallen initially after announcement of DAS had again shot up. Others said issues relating to billing, packaging and reference interconnect order had still not been ironed out by TRAI.

     
    There was also a reference to entertainment tax, and it was stated by some participants that the Uttar Pradesh Government had sharply raised this tax.

     

  • I&B Ministry to study why MSOs are not taking indigenous STBs

    I&B Ministry to study why MSOs are not taking indigenous STBs

    NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) will facilitate a meeting of manufacturers of indigenous set top boxes (STBs) and multi-system operators (MSOs) next week in view of complaints by the manufacturers that no orders were being placed for their STBs.

     

    This was decided at a meeting of the Task Force which will oversee the next two phases of digital addressable system (DAS) and which met under the chairmanship of Ministry Additional Secretary J S Mathur here today.

     

    Earlier this week, the manufacturers had met Ministry secretary Bimal Julka and made the same complaint.

     

    The participants were apprised that around 3.5 households had to be covered in the third phase of digitisation.

     

    A Ministry source told indiantelevision.com that the meeting discussed various roadblocks on the road to full digitisation and ways to overcome these hurdles.

     

    Star India legal & regulatory senior vice president Pulak Bagchi, who is also the representative of the broadcasters said emphatically that broadcasters would support voluntary transition to DAS as long as there were some ground rules.

     

    He also said that broadcasters were prepared to give concessions to operators switching over to DAS provided the operators totally stopped analogue transmission.

     

    Bagchi also said that it should be made mandatory that any MSO or local cable operator who switches over to DAS should switch off analogue and not run both systems.

     

    The meeting was attended by around 20 people and included representatives of trade bodies like FICCI and CII, apart from MSOs, LCOs and DAS advisor Yogendra Pal.

     

  • Project Management Unit set up in MIB to monitor DAS

    Project Management Unit set up in MIB to monitor DAS

    NEW DELHI: A project management unit has been set up in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to monitor digitisation of cable television networks in the country.

    Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told Lok Sabha that this is in addition to the task force constituted earlier to steer phase III and phase IV of digital addressable systems, which has to be completed by December, this year.

    He said intensive monitoring of digitisation was undertaken by the Ministry earlier with the support of Prasar Bharati officials and the Broadcasting Engineering Consultants India (BECIL).

    The first phase was set at March 2012 covering the four metros (though DAS was later stayed in Chennai) under the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Ordinance 2011, which is an amendment of the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.

    The target date for completely digitising cable sector in cities with population of more than one million was 30 March 2013, all urban areas by 30 September 2014, and the whole country by 31 December 2014.