New Delhi, May 4: The Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) today lauded the new tariff amendments in the cable sector brought out by the telecom regulator but sought clarity on the provision for “carriage fee” which, it said, was crippling broadcasters.
“The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) lauds the initiatives taken by the I and B Ministry and TRAI in bringing about much needed reforms in the cable sector,” a statement issued by the IBF, which comprises 52 broadcasters with over 235 channels said.
“The tariff amendments and the new Interconnect regulations for Digital Addressable Cable brought about by TRAI will inject necessary transparency across the value chain,” the statement said.
The broadcasters' body also said that through consumer friendly measures like choice of packages and introduction of Basic Service Tier, TRAI had ensured that subscribers of varied socio economic background are duly taken care of.
The IBF statement, however, also highlighted concern of channels over carriage fee. News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has also raised its voice against the TRAI provision to allow Multi System Operators (MSOs)to charge carriage fee.
Carriage fee is the money that channels pay to MSOs and Local Cable Operators to let their channel reach the viewer.
“A big area of concern for broadcasters is carriage fee. The broadcasters have taken up this issue in various discussions with the TRAI and the Government in the past,” the IBF said.
“Carriage fee has crippled various broadcasters, especially the smaller sized companies, and it has restricted a broadcaster's ability to invest in content and other activities of a channel,” the Federation said.
The broadcasters body said that “there is an urgent need to revisit this issue and IBF will seek clarity on this matter from TRAI.”
Officials said that representatives of the Broadcasters' association had also met Government officials to express concern about the carriage fee provisions in the latest rules.
Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni also said today that genuine concerns of all stakeholders including broadcasters would be addressed.
Apart from its demand for clarity on carriage fee, the IBF said that the overall the Tariff Order and the interconnect Regulations brought out by TRAI were steps in the right direction.
“The new interconnect regulations have brought within its wake the much awaited specifications for digital addressability while at the same time laying down the eligibility criteria for availing signals,” the IBF said.
“The reporting requirements will help the government in plugging leakages while the provisions on disconnection of signals will ensure that all stakeholders are aware of their rights and obligations,” the IBF said.
In its statement, the IBF also welcomed the mandate to enhance the channel carrying capacity to a minimum of 200 channels.
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