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A regulatory
authority for broadcasting is the only way out to escape the chaos
that is so much a part of the cable television regime in the country,
but the government is not ready for it. This was the consensus at
a seminar organised by the Consumer Action Network (CAN) recently.
CAN president Ahmed Abdi said that as there was no regulatory authority
appointed by the government, the consumer had been left at the mercy
of the broadcasters and cable operators. Although a conditional
access system would have brought about a semblance of order in the
cable TV scene, government was going slow on it, he said. Indicating
that the government was not serious about implementing the CAS,
Abdi said: “Instead of implementing the report, the government
has returned it to the committee and has put it on the backburner
under the pretext of asking for detailed recommendations.”
Delhi High
Court advocate Shyam Moorjani said that broadcasting must have a
regulatory authority, on the lines of those for the power, insurance
and telecommunication sectors. “The mobile phone rates are
down mainly because of the regulatory authority in the telecom sector,”
he said. Similarly, once the broadcasting sector gets a similar
controlling authority, there won’t be any arbitrary hikes any
longer. But at the moment, broadcasters are opposed to CAS, and
therefore the government is going slow on the matter, he added.
Hinduja TMT executive vice-president Ashok Mansukhani, while calling
for a regulatory authority to set things in order, also hinted that
the government had teamed up with broadcasters in not acting on
CAS. Mansukhani even said that the CAS report had been framed, keeping
in mind the requirements of the broadcasters. Also, multi-service
operators (MSOs) had to fight their way into the CAS committee,
he added.
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